I 


COMMANDING   OFFICERS  OF  THE   REGIMENT. 


THE 


One  Hundred  and  Twentieth 


REGIMENT 


NEW  YORK   STATE  VOLUNTEERS. 


A  NARRATIVE  OF  ITS  SERVICES  IN  THE  WAR  FOR  THE 

UNION. 


BY 


C.    VAN  SANTVOORD,    D.    D. 

„   Ghaplqiit,  U,,  S.  A.,*iS6*-j. 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  REGIMENTAL  UNION. 


1894  : 
PRESS   OF  THE  KINGSTON  FREEMAN, 

RONDOUT,    N.  Y. 


. 
1  2.0m 

V3    ? 


HEADQUARTERS  DEPARTMENT  OF  NEW  YORK, 

GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC, 

CAPITOL, 

ALBANY,  N.  Y.,  February  25,  1904. 

It  is  with  profound  sadness  that  the  Department  Com 
mander  announces  to  the  Comrades  of  this  Department  the  death  of 
Past  Department  Commander  GEORGE  H.  TREADWELL,  who  died  in 
the  City  of  Albany,  January  2ist,  1904,  after  an  extended  illness. 

Of  distinguished  ancestry,  gifted,  dignified,  pleasant  and  courtly 
in  manners,  prominent  and  highly  respected  as  a  citizen,  gallant  and 
brave  as  a  soldier,  and  devoted  to  the  best  interests  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  which  he  served  with  honor  and  zeal,  his  memory  will 
be  cherished  by  his  surviving  Comrades,  whose  sympathies  with  those 
of  the  Department  Commander,  are  hereby  tendered  to  his  bereaved 
family  and  friends. 

The  Department  Commander  with  sincere  regrets  also  announces 
to  the  Department  the  recent  death  of  that  loyal  friend  to  the  veterans 
and  their  families,  Mrs.  ELLEN  M.  PUTNAM,  late  Superintendent  of  the 
Oxford  Home,  whose  establishment  and  success  were  so  largely  owing 
to  the  untiring  labors,  good  judgment  and  zeal  of  Mrs.  Putnam. 

Widely  known  because  of  her  devotion  to  the  arduous  duties 
pertaining  to  her  position,  amiable  in  disposition  and  upright  in  char 
acter,  her  untimely  death  is  a  great  loss  to  her  family  and  many  friends 
as  well  as  to  our  noble  auxiliary,  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  whose 
cause  she  served  so  long  and  so  successfully. 

JOHN  S.  KOSTER, 

Department  Commander. 


HEADQUARTERS  DEPARTMENT  OF  NEW  YORK, 

GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC, 

CAPITOL, 

ALBANY,  N.  Y.,  February  ^5,  1904. 

It  is  with  profound  sadness  that  the  Department  Com 
mander  announces  to  the  Comrades  of  this  Department  the  death  of 
Past  Department  Commander  GEORGE  H.  TREADWELL,  who  died  in 
the  City  of  Albany,  January  2ist,  1904,  after  an  extended  illness. 

Of  distinguished  ancestry,  gifted,  dignified,  pleasant  and  courtly 
in  manners,  prominent  and  highly  respected  as  a  citizen,  gallant  and 
brave  as  a  soldier,  and  devoted  to  the  best  interests  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  which  he  served  with  honor  and  zeal,  his  memory  will 
be  cherished  by  his  surviving  Comrades,  whose  sympathies  with  those 
of  the  Department  Commander,  are  hereby  tendered  to  his  bereaved 
family  and  friends. 

The  Department  Commander  with  sincere  regrets  also  announces 
to  the  Department  the  recent  death  of  that  loyal  friend  to  the  veterans 
and  their  families,  Mrs.  ELLEN  M.  PUTNAM,  late  Superintendent  of  the 
Oxford  Home,  whose  establishment  and  success  were  so  largely  owing 
to  the  untiring  labors,  good  judgment  and  zeal  of  Mrs.  Putnam. 

Widely  known  because  of  her  devotion  to  the  arduous  duties 
pertaining  to  her  position,  amiable  in  disposition  and  upright  in  char 
acter,  her  untimely  death  is  a  great  loss  to  her  family  and  many  friends 
as  well  as  to  our  noble  auxiliary,  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  whose 
cause  she  served  so  long  and  so  successfully. 

JOHN  S.   KOSTER, 

Department  Commander. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  INTRODUCTORY — War  Spirit  in  Ulster  County i 

II.  THE    ONE    HUNDRED    AND   TWENTIETH    ORGANIZED — 

DEPARTURE  FOR  THE  FIELD 9 

III.  BETWEEN  THE  POTOMAC  AND  RAPPAHANNOCK .  22 

IV.  BURNSIDE    AND    FREDERICKSBURG 3  I 

V.  HOOKER  IN  COMMAND  AND  A  NEW  CAMPAIGN  OPENED.  .  37 

VI.  CHANCELLORSVILLE  AND  ITS  STORY 48 

VII.  REBELLION  RAMPANT  AND  THE  INVASION  OF  THE  NORTH  58 

VIII.  GETTYSBURG  AND  ITS  ISSUES 68 

IX.  GENERAL  GRANT  IN  CHIEF  COMMAND— CAMPAIGNING  ON 

THE   RAPIDAN 78 

X.  ANDERSONVILLE — A  Veteran's  Narrative 89 

XI.  THE  WILDERNESS  AND  ITS  TRIALS 1 06 

XII.  SPOTTSYLVANIA 117 

XIII.  COLD  HARBOR 125 

XIV.  THE  UNION  ARMY  ACROSS  THE  JAMES 135 

XV.  A  REBEL  STRONGHOLD  INVESTED 147 

XVI.  THE  FOLDS  TIGHTENING  AND  THE  END  IN  SIGHT 162 

XVII.  RICHMOND'S  FALL  AND  LEE'S  SURRENDER 173 

XVIII.  THE  RETURN  HOME  AND  JUBILANT  RECEPTION 186 

XIX.  THE  SOLDIERS  IN  CIVIL  LIFE  ;  THE  REGIMENTAL  UNION  199 

XX.  GETTYSBURG  MONUMENT  AND  ITS  DEDICATION 211 

APPENDIX  ;  ROSTER  AND  RECORD  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 


M1571S8 


INSCRIPTION   IN   BRONZE 


ON  FACE  OF  MONUMENT. 


THE  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH 

NEW   YORK   INFANTRY 

HELD  THIS   PART  OF  THE  LINE 

ON  THE  SECOND   DAY  OF  JULY,  1863. 

PRESENT   FOR    DUTY, 
30  OFFICERS,  397   MEN;  TOTAL  427. 

CASUALTIES 
FROM  THE  WAR   DEPARTMENT: 

KILLED  IN   BATTLE, 
8  OFFICERS,   25   MEN. 

WOUNDED, 

10  OFFICERS,  144   MEN. 
MISSING  17;  TOTAL   204. 


CHAPTER    I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 
THE    WAR    FOR    THE    UNION POPULAR    ENTHUSIASM — RESPONSES    TO    THE 

NATION'S  CALL  FOR  HELP — NEW  YORK  STATE  IN  THE  FRONT  RANK — 
ULSTER  COUNTY'S  CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  NATION'S  DEFENDERS — THE 
USE  AND  VALUE  OF  REGIMENTAL  HISTORIES. 

The  late  war  for  the  Union  attested  the  strength  of  the 
National  Government.  It  attested  as  well  the  devoted 
patriotism  of  the  masses  of  loyal  citizens,  which  needed 
only  a  fitting  occasion  to  call  forth  all  its  energy  in  the 
nation's  defense.  Without  patriotism  of  this  lofty  kind, 
the  strength  to  save  the  nation  in  a  critical  time,  would 
hardly  have  been  possible.  The  arms  lifted  to  rend 
the  Union  asunder,  would  have  been  likely  to  gain 
their  object,  had  not  the  people  with  hearts  aflame  with 
love  of  country,  its  government  and  institutions,  risen 
to  the  emergency,  ready  to  dare  all  dangers  and  bear  all 
burdens  to  keep  safe  from  harm,  the  priceless  heritage 
left  them  by  the  fathers. 

When,  therefore,  the  time  came  that  an  appeal  to 
this  feeling  was  found  necessary,  there  was  no  languor 
or  hesitation  in  responding  to  it.  The  whole  nation 
sprang  to  arms  at  the  call  of  the  government,  for  aid. 
The  West  vied  with  the  East  and  North  in  the  alacrity 
with  which  men  were  enlisted  and  sent  forward  to  con 
front  the  common  danger.  Regiment  after  regiment 

1 


2  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

poured  forth  to  take  their  places  in  the  ranks  of  the 
army  on  which  the  nation  relied  for  the  safety  of  its 
institutions.  No  ties  of  kindred,  or  home,  or  business, 
or  property,  were  strong  enough  to  withhold  the  aroused 
masses  from  the  grim,  impending  conflict  which  involved 
the  stability  and  very  existence  of  the  Union,  under 
which  the  people  had  lived  prosperously  and  happily 
for  nearly  a  hundred  years.  These  men,  so  hastily  don 
ning  the  soldier's  uniform,  understood  well  the  urgency 
of  the  crisis  that  required  their  services  in  the  field  ;  and 
they  went  forth  ready  to  stake  everything  upon  the  altar 
of  a  country,  which  conferring  its  benefits  upon  all,  was 
worthy  to  be  loved  and  defended  by  all.  They  were 
thus  resolved,  at  all  hazards,  to  maintain  the  Union 
unbroken  and  unharmed,  against  any  efforts  to  sunder  or 
injure  it,  and  preserve  our  civil  and  religious  liberties  in 
all  their  integrity  for  the  generations  following, 

It  proved  to  be  a  mighty  task  which  they  had  under 
taken  to  do.  The  full  dimensions  of  it  could  not  be 
taken  in  till  long  afterwards.  But  mind,  heart,  con 
science,  all  faculties  and  energies  were  devoted  to  the 
work,  whether  great  or  little,  and  success  they  felt  con 
vinced,  must  come  in  the  end,  whatever  it  might  cost  to 
achieve  it.  And  as  the  work  went  forward  its  propor 
tions  seemed  to  grow  ;  its  demand  for  larger  supplies 
all  the  time  increased.  The  ranks  depleted  were  steadily 
filled  up  with  fresh  warriors  as  full  of  ardor  and  courage 
and  determination  to  conquer  as  those  who  had  enlisted 
before  them.  Thus  while  the  great  conflict  was  in  prog 
ress,  a  host  of  citizen-soldiers,  such  as  the  world  had 
never  seen  before,  stood  arrayed  as  the  defenders  of  the 
nation,  till  at  length  the  end  of  their  toils  and  sacrifices 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.   Y.  S.    VOLS.  3 

came  in  the  success  which  the  Union  cause  had  won. 
The  gain  well  deserved  all  the  price  paid  to  secure  it, 
as  the  spectacle  of  the  long  and  desperate  struggle  with 
such  vast  interests  at  stake,  and  the  complete  and 
glorious  triumph  for  the  Union  crowning  the  issue,  was 
one  of  the  most  striking  and  impressive  that  the  ages 
ever  saw. 

New  York  was  behind  none  of  her  sister  States 
in  the  promptness  with  which  she  responded  to  the 
President's  call,  and  in  her  large  and  free  contributions 
of  troops  to  swell  the  armies  of  the  Republic.  Her 
soldiers  were  found  in  every  part  of  the  widely-extended 
field  where  their  services  were  needed.  They  stood 
shoulder  to  shoulder  with  comrades  from  other  States, 
cheerfully  bearing  whatever  burdens  their  duty  to  the 
country  and  love  for  the  cause  imposed  upon  them. 
This  State  has  a  bright  record  for  the  number  and 
character  of  the  troops  she  furnished  during  the  war, 
not  less  than  for  the  amount  of  hard  service  they 
rendered  in  defending  the  flag  and  securing  success  for 
the  national  cause. 

Of  this  great  number  sent  forth  by  the  State,  Ulster 
county  contributed  its  full  share.  Few,  if  any  counties 
in  the  State,  have  displayed  more  alacrity  than  Ulster  in 
sending  forth  its  sons  in  warrior  harness  to  meet  the 
then  present  emergency.  In  the  numbers,  too,  which 
the  county  furnished  from  first  to  last,  it  bears  favorable 
comparison  with  the  most  patriotic  counties  throughout 
the  State.  When  rebel  guns  were  turned  against  the 
nation's  flag  at  Fort  Sumter,  and  the  indignity  set  the 
whole  North  into  a  blaze  of  patriotic  ardor,  a  regiment 
of  three  months'  men  was  swiftly  organized  in  Ulster 


4  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

county,  and  under  the  command  of  Col.  George  W. 
Pratt — who  fell  at  the  head  of  his  regiment  at  the  second 
Bull  Run  battle — hurried  forward  to  offer  its  services  to 
the  government  and  breast  the  storm  that  seemed  ready 
to  burst.  The  promptness  with  which  this  regiment 
was  enrolled  and  the  zeal  evinced  by  its  officers  and 
men  in  hastening  to  the  front  to  breast  whatever  perils 
might  await  them  in  defending  the  nation's  honor  and 
integrity,  reflected  high  credit  on  the  county  as  well  as 
those  who  thus  worthily  represented  it.  It  returned 
home  after  its  term  of  service  had  expired,  and  within  a 
few  months  a  new  regiment,  to  serve  for  three  years 
or  the  war,  made  up  largely  from  the  material  of  the 
returned  regiment,  stood  ready  to  go  forward  to  the 
front.  This  was  the  Eightieth  New  York  Volunteers, 
as  the  name  was  entered  in  regular  order  of  enlistment 
on  the  State  Register.  The  name,  however,  which  its 
members  loved  and  clung  to  and  were  unwilling  to  sur 
render,  was  one  that  antedated  the  war  and  cherished 
through  association,  viz  :  the  Twentieth  New  York  State 
Militia.  Its  strong  peference  for  this  name  came  to  be 
allowed,  so  that  during  the  war,  as  now,  the  regiment 
was  best  known  by  its  chosen  appellation  of  the -Old 
Twentieth,"  which  all  its  members  were  and  are  proud 
to  wear. 

This  regiment  left  for  Washington,  on  October  25th, 
1 86 1  ;  continued  in  active  service  during  all  the  war; 
was  engaged  in  some  of  its  most  severe  battles,  making 
an  honorable  record  throughout.  The  second  regiment 
enlisted  for  the  war  and  sent  out  from  Ulster  county, 
was  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth.  It  left  Kingston 
for  the  seat  of  military  operations,  August  24,  1862 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  5 

Like  the  former  regiment,  its  members  were  not  wholly 
composed  of  men  residing  in  Ulster  county.  Three 
companies  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  were 
raised  in  Greene  county,  as  one,  at  least,  in  the  Twen 
tieth  N.  Y.  S.  M.,  was  drawn  from  the  same  region, 
while  a  few  individual  recruits,  were  found  in  both  regi 
ments,  from  Dutchess  county  and  neighboring  localities. 
Far  the  greater  part  of  the  recruits,  however,  belonged  to 
Ulster  county,  as  was  also  the  case  with  the  next  regi 
ment,  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-Sixth,  recruited  in 
the  summer  and  fall  of  1862  and  which,  in  command 
of  the  late  Col.  Erastus  Cooke,  left  Kingston  for  the 
field  in  early  December  of  that  year,  rendering  active 
and  efficient  service  till  the  end  of  the  war. 

Thus  three  regiments,  besides  the  three  months 
regiment,  went  forth  from  Ulster  county,  in  response 
to  the  nation's  call  to  share  in  its  defense.  Few,  if 
any  counties  in  the  State,  made  a  better  showing  than 
this,  or  evinced  more  spirit  and  zeal  in  rushing  to  the 
country's  aid,  when  reckless  hands  were  raised  to  strike 
at  its  peace  and  unity.  The  men,  too,  who  composed 
these  regiments,  were  not  mere  holiday  soldiers,  pompous 
on  parade  and  courageous  in  calm  and  sunshine,  but  they 
were  men  of  earnest  purpose,  with  hearts  resolved  and 
sinews  strung  to  meet  and  bear  whatever  peril  and 
hardship  might  come  from  laborious  campaigns  and  to 
bear  the  country's  flag  unsullied  through  bloodiest  fields. 
Their  history  shows  with  what  energy,  resolution  and 
persistence  they  carried  forward  and  finished  the  great 
work  which  a  confiding  country  had  devolved  upon 
their  hands. 

The  obligations  conferred  upon  the  whole  country  by 


O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y,  S.    VOLS. 

what  they  suffered  and  wrought,  are  high  and  lasting. 
It  is  fitting  that  these  deeds  should  be  remembered  and 
a  record  made  of  them,  easily  accessible,  to  such  as  in 
coming  years,  may  seek  to  know  something   in  detail, 
concerning  kinsmen  and  friends  who  took  part  in  the 
war,  and,  it  may  be,  shed  their  blood  in  the  nation's 
defense.     It  is  not  enough  to  speak  of  these  deeds  in  a 
general  way,  as  having  been  performed  by  masses  of 
men  forming  a  great  army.     The  deeds  of  one  regiment, 
being  so  small  a  part  of  the  whole,  are,  in  such  cases, 
apt  to  be  overlooked  or  passed  by  without  special  recog 
nition.     But  each  regiment  has  its  own   history,  with 
ample  material  often,  for  a  distinct  and  interesting  narra 
tive.      Many  of  these  regimental  histories  have  been 
written,    having    for    the    surviving    members    of    the 
several  regiments,  their  families  and  friends,  far  deeper 
interest  than  those  general  accounts  of  battles  or  military 
service  in  which  the  part  performed  by  the  single  regi 
ment  received  but  perfunctory  notice.       All  who  have 
been  directly  connected  in  some  way  with  a  regiment, 
may  be  regarded  as  having  a  certain  pride  in  its  mem 
bers  as  belonging  to  their  own  town,  county  or  district, 
and  thus  share  the  satisfaction  which  the  soldiers  them 
selves  feel  in  having  its  gallant  deeds  recorded.     On 
this  account  these  histories  have  a  value  of  their  own 
to  a  large  number  of  citizens  who  find  delight  in  reading 
about  the  war  experiences  of  kindred  and  friends  who 
/ere  engaged  in  the    sacred    conflict   for   the    Union. 
Many  who  stood  in  the  ranks  are  dead,  it  is  true,  but 
their  works  do  follow  them.     And  those  who  knew  them 
wett  and  honored  them,  turn  to  the  record  of  what  they 
did  in  the  country's  cause  with  unabating  interest  and 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS,  J 

pleasure.  This  record  too,  is  one  that  does  not  fade 
away  with  passing  years.  Children  and  childrens'  child 
ren  will  continue  to  scan  what  their  fathers  were  and 
what  they  did  in  the  dreadful  time  when  the  nation  was 
staggering  under  the  blows  dealt  against  it,  and  what 
help  these  strong  arms  brought  to  avert  those  baleful 
blows  or  prevent  their  doing  fatal  injury  to  the  land  they 
loved. 

Considerations,  such  as  these  will  justify,  if  this  indeed 
be  necessary,  the  narrative  contained  in  the  following 
pages .  The  writer  availing  himself  of  materials  placed  in 
his  hands  for  the  purpose  mentioned — materials  gathered 
with  care  and  from  trustworthy  sources,  may  hope  to 
present  a  narrative  of  the  military  career  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment,  that  its  members,  at 
least,  will  find  just,  adequate  and  fitting — a  narrative  too, 
that  shall  prove  not  unattractive  to  the  many  friends  of 
the  regiment,  who,  admiring  its  general  record,  may 
desire  to  see  it  spread  out  before  them  in  greater  detail. 
The  literature  of  the  late  war,  indeed,  is  so  vast  in  vol 
ume  as  to  seem  to  render  superfluous  anything  added 
to  its  bulk.  Still,  the  strong  hold  which  the  great 
subject  has  taken  and  continues  to  maintain,  on  the 
national  mind  and  heart,  encourages  the  hope  that 
even  this  slight  addition  to  what  is  already  pub 
lished,  may  find  some  measure  of  favor  with  readers 
outside  the  little  circle  of  surviving  comrades,  at 
whose  request  and  on  whose  special  behalf,  this  me 
morial  is  prepared. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  work,  the  writer  has 
received  important  assistance  from  several  individuals 
closely  connected  with  the  One  Hundred  and  Twen- 


8 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 


tieth  Regiment.     Among  these  he  would  particularly 
mention  Gen.  George   H.   Sharpe,  Col.  C.  D.  West- 
brook,  Major  J.  H.  Everett,  Messrs.  J.  McD.  VanWag- 
onen,  Wilbur  L.  Hale,  Edward  B.  DuMond  and  Egbert 
Lewis.     To   the   last  one    of  these  gentlemen,   he   is 
indebted  for  a  full  and  carefully  kept  diary,  covering 
nearly  all  the  period  that  the  regiment  was  engaged  in 
active  service,  embracing  memoranda  and  notes  from 
other  parties,  the  most  of  whom  were  formerly  connected 
with  the  regiment  and  familiar  with  the  matters  they- 
relate.     The    frequent   and    free    citations    from    these 
memoranda   in    the   following  pages,    will    show    how 
greatly  helpful  they  have  been  in  the  work  of  preparing, 
what  is  now  with  sincere  diffidence,  placed  under  the 
eye  of  the  reader. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  ORGANIZED — COLONEL  GEORGE  H. 
SHARPE  IN  COMMAND — HIS  EFFICIENT  WORK  IN  RECRUITING — THE  RE 
QUISITE  ENLISTMENTS  RAPIDLY  SECURED — LIST  OF  THE  REGIMENT^  OF 
FICERS — READY  TO  TAKE  THE  FIELD FLAG  PRESENTATION ADDRESSES 

BY  MR.    BARNARD  AND  COLONEL  SHARPE CROWDS  CHEER  THE  REGIMENT 

AS  IT  EMBARKS  FOR  NEW  YORK LEAVES    NEW  YORK  FOR  PHILADELPHIA 

HOW    ENTERTAINED    AT  THE  LATTER  CITY ARRIVAL  AND  BIVOUAC  AT 

WASHINGTON ENCAMPMENT  AT  ARLINGTON  HEIGHTS. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment,  New 
York  State  Volunteers,  was  organized  in  response  to 
the  call  of  President  Lincoln,  issued  July  2d,  1862,  for 
three  hundred  thousand  men.  In  compliance  with  this 
call  and  for  the  efficient  prosecution  of  the  object  in 
view,  Governor  Morgan  appointed  committees  composed 
of  residents  in  the  several  senatorial  districts  of  the 
State,  a  committee  for  each  district.  Their  business 
was  to  aid  the  work  of  recruiting  and  see  that  it  was 
carried  forward  properly  and  expeditiously.  The  work 
of  enlisting  recruits  at  once  began  and  was  pressed  for 
ward  so  vigorously,  that  by  the  2Oth  of  August,  the 
requisite  number  of  men  was  nearly  secured.  The 
people  in  those  days  were  alive  with  patriotic  ardor  and 
quick  to  respond  to  appeals  for  help  which  the  Govern 
ment,  in  the  emergency  then  present,  found  it  necessary 
to  make.  The  field  for  raising  recruits  was  wide  and 
promising.  The  diligent  reaper  who  wrought  in  it  was 
sure  to  be  rewarded  with  abundance  of  sheaves.  There 


I O       ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  V.  S.  I'OLS. 

was  hardly  a  locality  East,  North  or  West,  so  benighted 
concerning  the  issues  of  the  war,  or  so  indifferent  to  its 
prosecution,  as  to  require  more  light  or  urgent  argument 
before  furnishing  its  contingent  of  soldiers  in  answer  to 
the  nation's  cry  for  help. 

An  important  part  of  this  work  fell  to  the  lot  of  Col. 
George  H.  Sharpe,  who,  by  the  appointment  of  the 
Governor  of  the  State,  was  to  command  the  regiment 
about  to  be  raised.  Col.  Sharpe  had  commanded  a 
company  in  the  regiment  of  three  months'  men,  which 
had  gone  forth  from  Kingston  shortly  after  the  fall  of 
Fort  Sumter,  and  his  experience  in  that  campaign  served 
to  adapt  him  more  fully  to  the  more  responsible  com 
mand  he  was  now  called  to  assume.  He  entered  active 
ly  and  earnestly  upon  the  task  of  recruiting,  holding 
meetings  almost  daily  in  the  several  sections  of  the 
county  and  addressing  large  audiences  drawn  together 
by  interest  in  the  country's  cause.  These  meetings, 
were  at  times  addressed  by  other  influential  citizens  of 
the  county,  who  placed  country  before  party,  and  by  the 
fervor  of  their  appeals,  swelled  rapidly  the  number  of 
recruits  and  raised  to  a  higher  pitch  the  loyal  zeal  and 
ardor  of  the  people. 

An  occasional  exception  was  found  to  the  enthusiasm 

which  these  meetings  stood  ready  to  greet  the 

speakers  who,  throughout  the  county,  came  with  appeals 

'  more  volunteers.     One  of  these  exceptions  was  at  a 

known  village  generally  considered  to  be  foremost 

i  patriotic  action.     The  people  there  owing  to  certain 

5  and  influences,  not  easy  to  define  or  understand, 

1  which  soon  passed  away,  seemed  at  first  indifferent 

the  duty  of  contributing  to  the  cause  by  personal 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VQLS.  I  I 

enlistments.  A  meeting  had  been  called  to  be  held  in 
the  evening,  and  Col.  Sharpe  upon  arriving  in  the  after 
noon  and  consulting  with  the  leading  men  of  the  locality 
was  informed  that  the  meeting  would  undoubtedly  be 
well  attended,  but  there  was  no  prospect  of  any  enlist 
ments,  and  the  attempt  to  get  them  there  might  as  well 
be  abandoned.  The  meeting  did  prove  to  be  a  very 
large  one  and  the  enthusiasm  gradually  rose  to  a  very 
high  pitch.  Col.  Sharpe  in  the  course  of  his  speech 
stated  the  result  of  the  interview  with  the  leading  men 
of  the  town  in  the  afternoon.  He  said  that  he  had  been 
given  to  understand  that  in  the  regiment  to  be  raised, 
that  locality  would  be  unrepresented.  He  had  always 
had  a  high  opinion  of  the  courage  and  enthusiasm  of  its 
citizens,  and  rather  than  leave  the  town  without  rep 
resentation  in  the  regiment,  he  proposed  to  return  to 
Governor  Morgan  his  commission  as  Colonel,  and  to 

o 

enlist  as  a  private  for  that  locality  in  order  that  the 
whole  county  might  be  represented.  He  was  followed 
by  one  or  two  strong  addresses  from  prominent  citizens, 
and  at  the  close  of  the  meeting-  seven  young  men  came 

o  J  o 

forward  to  enlist,  and  their  example  was  soon  followed 
by  a  sufficient  number  to  authorize  the  issuing  of  a 
commission  to  a  young  man  of  the  same  town,  who 
finally  fell  at  the  head  of  his  men  on  one  of  the  most 
memorable  battle-fields  of  the  war. 

In  this  wray  the  filling  up  of  the  regiment  made  steady 
and  rapid  progress,  to  the  high  credit  of  the  county  and 
of  those  who  took  service  as  the  nation's  defenders. 
Three  of  the  ten  companies  composing  the  regiment, 
were  raised  in  Greene  county,  whose  citizens  were 
inspired  with  a  love  for  the  cause,  kindred  to  that  shown 


I  2  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

throughout  the  State,  and  indeed,  the  entire  North. 
The  volunteers  as  they  were  enlisted,  repaired  to  Camp 
Samson,  where,  on  a  spot  well  adapted  to  the  purpose 
for  which  it  was  selected,  and  which  the  Twentieth  N.  Y. 
S.  M.,  had  occupied  the  previous  year,  the  men  were  duly 
enrolled  and  inducted  into  camp  life.  Lt.  Col.  West- 
brook  had  his  quarters  here,  superintending  the  enrolling 
process,  the  arrangement  of  the  various  companies, 
and  their  distribution  into  tents.  The  mustering  into 
the  service  of  the  country  was  done  by  Captain  J.  B. 
Hagar,  U.  S.  A.,  who  completed  his  work  on  August 
22d,  the  number  of  enlisted  men  then  amounting  to 
nine  hundred  and  six. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  field  and  staff  officers  of 
the  regiment,  the  captains  of  the  several  companies 
with  the  number  of  men  contained  in  each  : 

Colonel — GEORGE  H.  SHARPE. 

Lieutenant-Colonel — C.  D.  WESTBROOK. 

Major — J.  RUDOLPH  TAPPEN. 

Adjutant — SELAH  O.  TUTHILL. 

Quartermaster — URIAH  H.  COFFIN. 

Surgeon — J.  O.  VANHOEVENBURGH. 

First  Assistant- Surgeon — HENRY  COLLIER. 

Second  Assistant- Surgeon — W.  A.  VANRENSSELAER. 

Chaplain — FOSTER  HARTWELL. 

The  following  non-commissioned  officers  were  also 
connected  with  the  regiment : 

Sergeant- Major — HOWARD  COOKE. 
Quartermaster-Sergeant — GEO.  P.  BARBER. 
Commissary — W.  J.  COCKBURN. 
Hospital-Steward — J.  D.  KEYSER. 
Drum- Major — AUGUST  GCELLER. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  3 

The  captains  in  command  of  the  several  companies 
with  the  number  in  each  company  in  their  respective 
order  were : 

Company  A  :  Captain — ABRAM  L.  LOCKWOOD,  ninety- 
seven  men. 

Company  B  :  Captain — SIMON  S.  WESTBROOK,  eighty- 
four  men. 

Company  C :  Captain — JACOB  L.  SNYDER,  eighty- 
nine  men. 

Company  D:  Captain — LANSING  L.  HOLLISTER,  eighty- 
three  men. 

Company  E  :  Captain — DANIEL  GILLETT,  eighty-six 
men. 

Company  F :  Captain — THEO.  F.  OVERBAGH,  ninety- 
four  men. 

Company  G  :  Captain — WALTER  F.  SCOTT,  eighty- 
nine  men. 

Company  H:  Captain — CHARLES  H.  McENTEE,  ninety- 
four  men. 

Company  I  :  Captain — FRANCIS  W.  REYNOLDS,  ninety- 
three  men. 

Company  K  :  Captain — JAMES  M.  PIERSON,  ninety- 
seven  men. 

The  regiment  being  thus  in  readiness  to  start  for  the 
field,  lay  in  camp  awaiting  orders  to  move,  which  were 
liable  at  any  moment  to  arrive.  During  this  interval  the 
kindred  and  friends  of  the  soldiers,  and  people  anxious 
to  witness  the  departure  of  the  regiment,  came  pouring 
into  Kingston  from  Greene  County  as  well  as  from  all 
parts  of  Ulster,  on  Saturday,  the  23d  of  August.  The 
town  had  rarely  beheld  such  crowds  of  visitors  as  were 
attracted  to  it  by  the  regiment  just  about  to  bid  a  long 


1 4  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

farewell  to  homes  and  friends  in  the  North,  and  to  set 
forth  upon  an  expedition  from  which  many  of  them  might 
never  return. 

On  this  clay,  which  proved  to  be  the  one  preceding 
the  departure  of  the  regiment,  and  in  presence  of  the 
multitude  gathered  at  the  encampment,  a  very  impres 
sive  ceremonial  took  place.  This  was  the  presentation 
of  two  flags,  which  the  regiment  was  to  bear  with  it 
wherever  its  presence  might  be  demanded  in  the  service 
of  the  country.  An  account  of  the  ceremonies,  which 
had  no  less  interest  for  spectator  than  for  soldier,  is 
taken  from  the  KINGSTON  JOURNAL,  of  August  2/th,  1862. 

"On  Saturday  afternoon,  at  4  o'clock,  the  flags  purchased  by  the 
ladies  of  Ellenville  and  Kingston  to  be  given  to  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth  Regiment  (Washington  Guard),  were  presented  at  Camp 
Samson.  A  platform  was  erected  at  the  flag  staff.  Upon  this  were 
assembled  as  many  of  the  officers  of  the  regiment  as  could  be  de 
tached  from  duty,  and  the  clergy  of  the  village.  Prayer  was  offered 
by  Rev.  B.  C.  Lippincott,  of  Hurley.  Mr.  Reuben  Bernard,  of  this 
village  then  advanced  to  the  front  of  the  platform  and  spoke  as  fol 
lows  : — 

1  'Colonel  George  H.  Sharpe  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth 
Regiment,  N.  Y.,  State  Volunteers  :— The  Ladies  of  Ulster  County 
have  honored  me  by  selecting  me,    as  their  agent  and  mouthpiece, 
in  presenting  to  you  our  national  standard  and  your  regimental  colors'. 
The  ladies  of  the  County  feel  that  they  have  an  interest  in  this  regi 
ment    and    in    the   contest  in  which  you   will   be   engaged.     They 
ish  you  to  take  and  bear  with   you  some   token  of  their  appre 
ciation   and   remembrance,  some  symbol,    which,   by    its    constant 
presence,   will  ever  remind  you  that  you  are  remembered  in  their 
s  and  watched  by  loved  ones  at  home.     You,  and  the  brave 
ith  you,  will  regard  these  flags,  not  only  as  an  evidence  of  your 
s  greatness  and  glory,  but  also  as  having  clustered  about 
ihe  hallowed  influence  of  home.     Let  these  flags  speak  to 
ith  the  voice  of  a  wife,  mother  and  sister,  bidding  you  to  deeds 
of  noble  daring. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  5 

"  'These  colors  are  entrusted  to  the  keeping  of  your  regiment,  with 
a  perfect  confidence  that  you  will  preserve  inviolate  the  honor  of  the 
flags  presented  to  you  by  the  women  of  the  County  of  Ulster.  We 
must  not  be  discouraged  by  reverses.  Ulster  County  suffered  her  full 
share  in  that  noble  revolution  which  gave  birth  to  this  flag.  Our 
oldest  citizens  can  remember  the  time  when  our  neighboring  village 
fell  a  sacrifice  to  its  love  of  liberty.  The  flames  which  destroyed 
their  property  only  served  to  purify  and  ennoble  the  patriotic  ardor 
with  which  they  fought  for  freedom.  So  with  you.  Let  every  reverse 
only  strengthen  your  hearts  and  nerve  your  arms,  to  do  and  dare  for 
your  country's  cause,  bearing  with  you  the  constant  remembrance 
that  in  every  struggle,  these  flags  will  smile  down  on  you  the  prayers 
and  the  approval  of  the  women  you  leave  behind  you. 

"  '  The  flag  which  I  present,  has,  for  the  last  eighty  years,  been  the 
emblem  of  our  country's  greatness  ;  has  protected  us  in  the  enjoyment 
of  all  our  rights.  That  flag  is  now  endangered.  A  wicked,  cause 
less,  monstrous  rebellion  is  seeking  to  destroy  it.  Shall  it,  can  it  be 
done?  You,  soldiers,  going  and  about  to  go  to  the  field,  must 
answer  this  great  question.  I  think  I  know  your  answer.  You  say 
to  this  rebellion,  you  say  to  the  whole  world,  ''this  flag  has  protected 
us  in  times  past  and  we  will  protect  it  now.' 

"  'And  now,  Col.  Sharpe,  allow  me  the  pleasure  of  presenting  you 
these  flags,  knowing  that  you  and  the  noble  men  with  you,  will  do 
your  whole  duty,  and  knowing  that  with  the  blessing  of  God  crown 
ing  your  efforts,  this  flag  shall  be  preserved  to  the  latest  generation 
without  one  stripe  obliterated  or  one  star  dimmed.'" 

Colonel  Sharpe,  in  behalf  of  the  regiment,  accepted 
the  flags  in  the  following  address : 

"  He  said  that  'he  had  been  aware  for  some  time  that  these  flags 
were  to  be  presented  to  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment, 
and  that  it  was  expected  he  should  speak  for  the  officers  and  men 
who  composed  it ;  yet  he  spoke  but  the  simple  truth  when  he  assured 
them  that  he  was  so  overcome  by  the  emotions  that  agitated  his 
heart,  that  he  hardly  had  a  word  at  his  command.  He  could  only 
say,  that  he  was  wholly  penetrated  with  emotions  of  gratitude  to  the 
men  of  Ulster  and  Greene  for  their  noble  and  self-sacrificing  efforts  to 
raise,  in  the  shortest  possible  space  of  time,  the  regiment  with  the 


I  6  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

command  of  which  he  had  been  honored.  At  a  former  moment,  he 
had  thought  he  would  write  upon  a  slip  of  paper  the  names  of  the 
men  of  Ulster  and  Greene,  who  had  placed  him  under  the  deepest 
obligations  by  their  generous  assistance,  while  he  had  been  laboring 
to  raise  the  men  then  ready  to  go  to  the  defense  of  their  country,  but 
as  he  recollected  one  after  another,  he  forbore  to  pen  their  names,  as 
the  list  itself  would  have  made  a  speech.  And  now  to  the  deeds  of 
the  stout  and  brave  men  of  Ulster  and  Greene,  was  added  this  expres 
sion  of  interest  and  regard  from  lovely  and  patriotic  women,  thus 
increasing  the  burden  of  his  gratitude  and  the  list  of  memories  to 
which  he  would  ever  revert  with  the  deepest  emotions  of  pleasure.  It 
was  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  on  that  occasion,  the  regiment  could 
not  be  drawn  up  before  the  assembled  multitude  in  line  of  battle,  but 
the  duties  incident  to  their  hurried  departure  in  answer  to  the  call  of 
the  Governor,  forbade  this.  He  would  not  boast  how  the  regiment 
would  bear  these  flags,  or  in  what  state  it  would  bring  them  back, 
nor,  indeed,  would  he  pledge  it  to  bring  them  back  at  all ;  but  he  felt 
sure  that  the  men  who  were  going  forth  that  day  from  among  them, 
would  do  all  in  their  power  to  preserve  these  flags  from  dishonor,  even 
though  they  had  to  struggle  until  the  last  man  should  have  the  last 
shred  to  bear  back  to  the  place  from  whence  they  had  been  received. 
"  'And  now  they  were  going  away.  He  knew  something  of  the 
extent  of  the  pain  which  their  departure  caused.  The  character  of 
the  men  in  the  regiment  gave  unmistakable  evidence,  how  keen  were 
the  pangs  of  sorrow  which  wrung  the  hearts  of  friends  there  assembled. 
Many  of  them  he  knew  had  been  most  tenderly  brought  up,  and  had 
been  the  dearest  objects  of  that  care  and  love,  which  is  found  only  in 
the  best  homes  in  our  land.  Now  they  were  going  from  their  native 
hills,  and  yet  the  better  part  of  them  would  remain  behind,  and  all 
the  scenes  of  home  would  be  more  truly  with  them  than  ever  before. 
But  it  was  because  they  loved  their  homes  that  they  went  from  them^ 
and  if  they  ever  achieved  deeds  of  bravery  on  the  bloody  battle-field,' 
it  would  be  because  of  the  inspiriting  memories  of  home  which  would 

II  their  minds.     Yes,  they  were  going  and  might  he  not  hope  that 
their  prayers  would  attend  them  ;  not  alone  for  the  preservation  of 
the  health  of  these  loved  ones,  or  for  their  being  saved  from  the  im 
moralities  of  the  camp,  or  the  shot  of  the  enemy,  or  for  their  pre 
paration  for  sudden  death,  would  he  ask  them  to  pray  ;  but  while 
they  implored  all  this,  he  would  beg  of  them  to  pray  that  they  might 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  J 

be  the  means,  with  others  who  had  joined  the  grand  army  of  the 
Union,  of  speedily  crushing  out  this  rebellion,  and  bringing  all  the 
States  to  enjoy  the  full  blessing  of  freedom,  peace  and  prosperity 
under  our  flag  and  constitution. ' " 

"The  flags  thus  presented  consist  of  a  national  and  regimental 
color.  Both  are  of  silk.  The  body  of  the  latter  is  blue,  upon  which 
is  worked  with  yellow  and  crimson  silk,  an  eagle  and  shield.  The 
eagle  bears  in  its  beak  a  scroll,  with  the  national  motto  '  E  pluribus 
unum/andin  its  talons  a  scroll  containing  the  words  'One  Hundred 
and  Twentieth  Regiment,  Washington  Guard/" 

During  this  day  the  expected  orders  came,  directing 
the  regiment  to  start  at  8  o'clock  on  the  following 
morning.  All  in  and  about  the  camp  became  at  once 
bustle  and  activity.  The  day  of  the  24th  of  August, 
which  was  Sunday,  was  bright  and  beautiful.  The 
crowds  of  the  day  before  were  swelled  into  a  still 
greater  multitude  on  this  eventful  day  of  departure. 
Early  as  the  hour  was,  all  places  in  the  near  vicinity  of 
the  camp  were  filled  with  interested  spectators,  and  with 
the  kindred  and  friends  of  the  soldiers.  Many  of  these 
with  trembling  voices  and  tearful  eyes  gave  parting 
adieus  to  beloved  relatives  whose  faces  they  might 
never  see  again.  These  affecting  separations  however, 
need  not  be  dwelt  upon,  as  similar  scenes  were  exhib 
ited  wherever  a  new  regiment  left  home  for  the  seat  ol 
the  war,  and  what  is  suffered  in  such  parting  may  better 
be  imagined  than  paraded  through  inadequate  descrip 
tion  on  the  printed  page. 

Promptly  at  the  hour  of  eight,  the  regiment  broke 
camp  and  began  its  inarch  for  Rondout,  followed  by  a 
great  crowd  bent  on  seeing  it  embark.  Cheers  and 
shouts  attended  it  along  its  route  to  the  wharf,  where 


I  8  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

the  good  steamer  Manhattan  lay  ready  to  receive  and 
convey  the  men  to  New  York.  While  the  boat  lay  at 
the  dock  awaiting  the  signal  to  start,  the  final  greetings 
were  exchanged  and  farewell  words  spoken,  and  then, 
with  a  great  outburst  of  cheers  the  vessel  swung  off 
into  the  stream.  All  the  way  down  the  Hudson,  from 
every  boat  and  landing  passed,  the  same  lively  gratula- 
tions  were  poured  forth  by  hearty  sympathizers  with 
the  citizen -soldiers,  who  were  devoting  their  lives  to  the 
safety  of  the  nation.  As  long  as  the  declining  day  per 
mitted  sight  of  the  Manhattan  and  her  stalwart,  living 
freight,  the  cheering  voices  of  people  in  vessels  and  on 
shore,  continued  to  salute  them.  Then,  with  night 
came  rest  for  the  weary,  and  in  the  early  morning  the 
vessel  had  reached  her  wharf  in  the  metropolitan  city. 
The  soldiers  disembarked  and  were  marched  to  the  City 
Hall  Park.  There  the  usual  muskets  were  furnished, 
though  the  regiment  had  to  wait  for  complete  equip 
ments,  including  ammunition,  till  it  reached  Washing 
ton,  where,  what  was  lacking,  was  in  due  form  supplied. 
On  the  same  afternoon  at  four  o'clock,  the  regiment 
resumed  its  journey,  marching  down  to  the  Jersey  City 
ferry,  crossing  over  to  the  other  side  and  taking  cars  for 
Philadelphia,  which  city  it  reached  at  6.30  the  following 
morning. 

Here  an  agreeable  surprise  awaited  them.  In  an 
ample  hall  near  where  the  cars  stopped,  a  sumptuous 
breakfast  was  provided  by  the  loyal  and  large  hearted 
citizens  of  Philadelphia,  and  all  the  regiment  cordially 
invited  to  partake.  This  was  not  an  act  of  hospitality 
tendered  to  one  regiment,  or  to  a  few  others  at  intervals 
as  circumstances  might  prescribe.  But  it  was  the  rule, 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  Q 

begun  early  in  the  war  and  continued  to  its  close,  to 
furnish  forth  a  meal  to  every  regiment  passing  through 
Philadelphia  to  the  front.  The  whole  country  came,  in 
this  way  to  know  and  honor  the  patriotic  city  for  the 
considerate  and  generous  provision  made  for  such  great 
numbers  of  soldiers,  who  were  privileged  to  enjoy  this 
good  cheer.  As  for  the  soldiers,  every  one  was  loud  in 
his  praises  of  this  graceful  entertainment,  whose  value 
was  enhanced  by  the  assiduous  attentions  bestowed 
upon  every  guest  at  table,  the  memory  of  which 
remained  fresh  and  pleasant  in  all  after  years.  The 
writer  had  the  good  fortune  to  share  these  generous 
attentions  a  year  before  when  connected  with  another 
regiment,  the  Twentieth  N.  Y.  S.  M.,  and  put  forth  his 
experiences  in  a  printed  letter,  a  paragraph  of  which, 
as  expressive  of  the  cordial  sentiments  of  all,  who  like 
him  have  been  guests  at  the  same  board,  he  will  ven 
ture  to  transcribe  : — 

"As  the  troops  left  the  ferry  boat,  they  were  marched  into  an 
immense  hall  near  the  wharf,  fitted  up  for  the  accommodation  and 
refreshment  of  the  regiments  constantly  passing  through  to  the  seat  of 
the  war.  Six  tables,  stretching  the  whole  length  of  the  apartment, 
and  ample  enough  to  enable  an  entire  regiment  to  stand  around  them, 
were  loaded  with  refreshments,  furnished  by  the  hospitality  of  the  city 
of  brotherly  love,  thus  proving  the  name  to  be  fittingly  applied.  And 
such  refreshments  for  tired  and  hungry  men  !  Excellent  bread  and 
delicious  butter,  superb  cold  beef  and  ham,  potatoes,  coffee  and  tea, 
pickles  of  various  kinds,  etc.,  urged  upon  all  with  a  persistent  hos 
pitality,  that  seemed  to  receive  rather  than  confer  a  favor.  The  min 
istry  of  gentle  hands  was  conspicuous,  as  it  always  is,  in  such  a  scene 
as  this.  Your  correspondent  being  conducted  toward  the  head  of  the 
bounteous  board,  one  angel  took  his  hat,  another  disrobed  him  of 
overcoat,  a  third  took  charge  of  a  package  or  two,  a  fourth  led  him  to 
a  seat  at  the  table,  a  fifth  ministered  to  his  wants  while  there,  and  all 


2O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

with  a  delicacy  and  warmth  of  kindness  that  brought  forcibly  to  his 
mind  the  Pilgrim  of  Bunyan  in  the  Palace  Beautiful,  with  the  ministry 
of  the  fair  sisterhood  there,  refreshing  and  strengthening  him  for  the 
hardships  and  dangers  of  the  way  before  him.  No  wonder  that  the 
soldiers,  exulting  in  this  gxxxlly  fare,  broke  forth,  company  after 
company,  into  spontaneous  cheers  for  the  city  of  Philadelphia  which 
made  the  rafters  of  the  building  fairly  ring  again.  Nor  was  this 
ample  cheer  all.  Here  the  sick  soldiers  are  furnished  with  comfort 
able  quarters,  and  received  assiduous  medical  care,  until  able  to  join 
their  regiment,  or  failing  this,  are  sent  home,  without  money  and 
without  price.  In  addition  to  all,  in  a  room  overhead,  writing 
materials  are  furnished  for  those  who  desire,  during  the  two  or  three 
hours  stay  in  the  city,  to  write  to  their  friends.  I  was  urged  there 
several  times  to  write  home,  which  though  much  fatigued  and  the 
hour  being  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  finally  did,  to  show,  at 
least,  how  much  I  valued  such  attention  and  kindness.  When  the 
letter  was  written  and  enclosed  they  refused  even  to  let  the  writer  pay 
for  the  stamp.  All  hail  to  the  city  of  Philadelphia  for  such  princely 
generosity,  continued  so  long  and  yet  rendered  not  only  without 
grudging  or  complaint,  but  rejoicingly.  It  will  prove  a  noble  and 
lasting  monument  to  her  honor." 

In  looking  back  thirty  years,  this  account  does  not 
seem  to  the  writer  overstated,  and  he  is  quite  sure  that 
a  strong  response  to  these  eulogistic  words  will  be  given 
by  every  surviving  Union  soldier,  who  when  going 
forward  to  encounter  the  perils  and  hardships  of  the 
war,  found  his  footsteps  lightened  and  his  heart  and  arm 
strengthened  by  a  sympathy  and  good  will  so  heartily 
expressed. 

The  regiment  left  Philadelphia  in  the  morning  taking 
cars  for  Baltimore  where  it  arrived  at  four  p.  M.  March 
ing  across  the  city,  without  danger  any  longer  of 
molestation  from  any  disloyal  element,  to  the  Washing 
ton  depot,  it  started  at  six  p.  M.  for  Washington,  arriving 
there  on  the  2;th,  at  midnight,  the  streets  being  a 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS.  2  I 

bivouac  for  the  remainder  of  the  night.  Washington 
at  that  time  was  little  more  than  an  armed  camp.  The 
streets  were  filled  with  soldiers,  army  wagons,  cavalry 
squadrons,  gun  carriages  and  caissons,  with  kindred  ob 
jects  sure  to  follow  in  the  train  of  "  glorious  war,"  the 
whole  forming  a  very  striking  spectacle  to  those  lately 
parted  from  peaceful  country  homes.  The  stay  here, 
however,,  was  short,  as  at  10  o'clock  on  the  morning 
after  arrival,  the  ranks  were  formed  and  the  regiment 
crossed  the  Long  Bridge,  marching  to  Arlington  Heights, 
where  its  first  camp  on  the  sacred  soil  of  Virginia  was 
pitched,  the  dome  of  the  capitol  looming  up  grandly  at 
the  distance  of  seven  miles.  Those  who  knew  the  his 
tory  of  Arlington,  long  the  home  of  General  Robert  E. 
Lee,  then  in  command  of  the  rebel  armies,  and  saw  how 
the  iron  heel  of  war  had  stamped  out  its  beauty,  and 
spread  desolation  around,  would  find  a  fruitful  lesson 
inspired  by  the  spot  where  their  first  night  in  Virginia 
was  spent. 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE  SECOND  BATTLE  OF  BULL  RUN — THE  ONE    HUNDRED    AND    TWENTIETH 

AIDING  TO  PROTECT    WASHINGTON LIFE    IN    CAMP — RELIGIOUS    SERVICE 

— POPE'S  ROUTED  ARMY RE-ORGANIZED  BY  MCCLELLAN UNION  SUC 
CESSES  IN  MARYLAND — ARMY  HOSPITALS — PENINSULA  VETERANS RE 
VIEW  OF  TROOPS  NEAR  FAIRFAX  SEMINARY UPTON'S  HILL  ENCAMP 
MENT A  GRAND  REVIEW  NEAR  ALEXANDRIA PRESIDENT  LINCOLN  AND 

SECRETARIES,  PRESENT — REGIMENT  ORDERED  TO  THE  FRONT BURN- 
SIDE  SUPERSEDES  MCCLELLAN ARMY  OF  THE  POTOMAC  BEFORE  FRED- 

ERICKSBURG. 

The  day  following  the  regiment's  first  encampment 
in  Virginia,  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  August  28th, 
may  be  said  to  have  opened.     General  King's  division 
on  its  march  from  Warrenton  to  Centreville,  ran  into 
the  divisions  of  Ewell  and  Taliaferro,  of  Jackson's  corps, 
which  was  holding  the  region  around  Bull  Run,  after  its 
enterprising  and  successful  raid  upon  Bristoe  Station 
and  Manassas.     Then  ensued,  as  Taliaferro  describes  it, 
14  one  of  the  most  terrific  conflicts  that  can  be  conceived. 
For  two  hours  and  a  half,  from   late   in  the  afternoon 
till    after   dark,    without   an  instant's    cessation  of  the 
most  deadly  discharges  of  musketry,  round  shot  and 
shell,  both  lines  stood  unmoved,  neither  advancing,  and 
neither  broken  nor  yielding,  until  about  nine  o'clock, " 
when  the  conflict  closed,  with  no  decided  advantage  on 
either  side,  but  with  heavy  losses  to  both.     Early  on 
the  next   morning  the    main  battle    began,  continuing 
through  that  day,  the  29th,  and  through  the  following 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2$ 

one,  the  close  of  the  latter  witnessing  the  discomfiture 
of  Pope's  army,  and  its  retreat  toward  the  defenses  of 
Washington. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  was  not  called  upon 
to  take  part  in  the  severe  fighting  running  through 
these  three  August  days,  though  the  booming  of  the 
cannon  from  this  hotly  contested  field  reached  the  men 
in  their  Arlington  encampment. 

On  the  morning  of  the  2 9th  however,  they  were 
roused  from  their  slumbers  by  the  long  roll.  Cartridges 
and  rations  were  hastily  furnished,  and  in  fifteen  minutes, 
armed  and  equipped,  they  were  standing  ready  to  march. 
Their  route  lay  across  the  Potomac,  through  Georgetown 
to  Fort  Ethan  Allen,  ten  miles  from  their  camp  at  Ar 
lington.  The  regiment  was  one  of  a  number  of  detach- 

o  o 

ments  sent  from  Washington  and  places  adjacent,  to 
guard  against  any  movement,  should  one  be  attempted, 
on  the  part  of  Lee,  to  throw  troops  in  Pope's  rear,  or 
between  him  and  Washington.  No  such  attempt,  how 
ever,  was  made.  The  Union  army  fell  back,  when  the 
time  came,  without  being  seriously  molested,  though 
much  demoralized  by  its  defeat,  till  it  found  itself  within 
the  fortifications  which  made  Washington  secure  against 
any  assaults  from  without. 

The  regiment  remained  in  camp  near  Fort  Ethan 
Allen  for  more  than  a  week.  The  spot  where  they 
pitched  their  tents  was  a  high  side  hill  from  which  a  fine 
prospect  opened,  and  where  their  surroundings  were 
such  as  to  minister  greatly  to  the  mens'  comfort  and 
satisfaction.  Not  only  were  their  rations  good  and 
abundant,  but  occasional  foraging,  with  purchases  from 
people  coming  into  the  camp  to  sell  provisions,  afforded 


24  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

such  luxuries  as  pigs,  chickens,  ducks,  hoe-cake,  eggs, 
cakes,  pies,  etc.,  a  bill  of  fare,  which  however  appetizing, 
could  only  solace  the  men  for  a  brief  period,  and  sure  to 
be  ere  long  exchanged  for  the  plain  army  ration,  which 
knew  but  little  variety,  without  being  always  at  hand  or 
abundant.  The  good  things  mentioned,  were  however, 
heartily  enjoyed  while  they  lasted,  while  as  to  their 
future  supplies,  the  men  gave  themselves  no  concern. 
They  were  ready  for  hardships  and  privations  should 
they  come,  as  belonging  to  the  nature  of  their  present 
service. 

Nor  was  the  sense  of  dependence  on  the  Great  All- 
Provider  lost  sight  of,  by  a  large  part  of  the  regiment 
certainly,  who  failed  not  to  express  their  obligations  for 
His  bountiful  gifts  and  for  His  guardianship  in  all  their 
way,  and  fervent  thanksgivings  went  up  daily  from 
those  who  had  been  taught  to  praise  God  for  his  good 
ness.  And  on  Sunday,  the  3ist,  in  Captain  Snyder's 
tent,  a  large  number  gathered  to  hear  the  voice  of 
prayer  and  the  Chaplain's  earnest  admonitions,  which 
met  with  attentive  audience  and  warm  response,  making 
all  feel  stronger  for  the  work  before  them,  in  the  aid  and 
benediction  Divinely  promised.  There  is  no  soldier,  who 
cannot  do  and  suffer  more,  and  fight  better,  in  the  con 
sciousness,  which  everyone  may  have,  that  the  Lord  is 
on  his  side,  to  guard  the  right  cause,  and  strengthen 
the  arms  that  uphold  it. 

While  the  regiment  lay  encamped  here,  Pope's  routed 
army  was  pouring  into  Washington,  and  the  men  had 
an  opportunity  to  see  many  of  these  troops  as  they 
hurried  forward  in  their  retreat.  Many  of  the  soldiers 
escaping  from  this  hard-fought,  but  disastrous  field  of 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2  5 

Bull  Run,  had  lost  their  arms,  and  with  uniforms  torn 
and  dust-covered,  wore  a  melancholy  and  woe-begone 
appearance.  It  might  seem,  looking  at  these  straggling 
crowds,  that  discipline  lost,  might  not  again  be  restored. 
Yet  this  needed  to  be  done  and  done  promptly.  And 
in  this  emergency,  the  President  turned  at  once  to  the 
only  man  adequate,  in  his  judgment,  to  do  it.  General 
McClellan  was  urged  to  undertake  it  and  consented. 
And,  with  his  rare  organizing  faculty  and  his  popularity 
with  the  troops  which  no  reverses  seemed  to  impair, 
order  very  soon  began  to  emerge  out  of  this  chaos. 
Companies,  regiments,  brigades,  divisions  stood  forth  in 
brief  period,  in  compact  and  regular  array,  and  on  the 
7th  of  September,  a  week  after  the  Bull  Run  battle, 
McClellan  left  Washington  at  the  head  of  a  large  and 
well  appointed  army  to  meet  Lee  who  was  crossing  the 
upper  Potomac  into  Maryland.  The  battle  of  South 
Mountain  followed  on  the  I4th  with  a  brilliant  success 
for  the  Union  arms,  and  three  days  after,  on  the  i7th, 
was  fought  the  bloody  battle  of  Antietam,  which,  if  not 
an  overwhelming  Union  victory,  as  it  might  and  should 
have  been,  yet  resulted  in  thwarting  Lee's  designs  on 
"  My  Maryland"  and  driving  him  back  disappointed  and 
crippled,  across  the  Potomac. 

During  these  stirring  operations,  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twentieth  remained  in  the  vicinity  of  Washington 
engaged  in  doing  picket  duty,  the  drilling  of  the  men 
going  on  from  day  to  day,  thus  familiarizing  them  with 
their  required  work  and  fitting  them  to  act  their  part 
well  in  the  hour  of  trying  service.  They  moved  from 
point  to  point  for  several  weeks,  keeping  mostly  near  to 
Washington  and  waiting  for  the  time  when  they  should 


2  6  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

be  called  to  join  the  ranks  standing  in  the  forefront  of 
the  battle.  On  September  loth,  they  were  at  Fort 
Lyon,  on  the  I4th,  at  Fairfax  Seminary,  near  Alex 
andria,  with  the  Potomac,  bearing  steamers  and  war 
vessels  on  its  bosom,  in  view,  and  Mount  Vernon 
occasionally  seen  from  some  neighboring  elevation  which 
commanded  a  wide  sweep  of  the  river.  Fairfax  Sem 
inary,  a  spacious  and  sightly  structure,  was  now  con 
verted  into  a  hospital  for  our  sick  and  wounded  soldiers, 
the  necessities  of  the  war  compelling  the  use  of  this  and 
similar  commodious  buildings  in  all  places  where  our 
armies  held  possession,  and  bloodshed  as  well  as  sick 
ness  abounded.  Alexandria,  near  at  hand,  was  full  of 
hospitals.  Distributed  among  these  were  a  number  of 
soldiers  of  the  Twentieth  N.  Y.  S.  M.,  wounded  at  Bull 
Run,  whom  acquaintances  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth  were  permitted  occasionally  to  visit.  Among 
these  wounded  was  the  gallant  Captain  Pelatiah  Ward. 
He  fell,  as  did  his  colonel,  Geo.  W.  Pratt,  while  charg 
ing  the  enemy's  impregnable  breastworks  late  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  last  day's  battle.  Captain  Ward  was 
among  the  bravest  men  and  best  soldiers  who,  that  day, 
went  into  the  desperate  fight.  He  died  within  a  fort 
night  after  receiving  his  wound.  The  sights  of  wounded 
and  suffering  men,  witnessed  by  the  soldiers  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twentieth  in  these  hospitals,  impressed 
upon  them  a  vivid  idea  of  the  horrors  of  war  and  taught 
them  what  the  future  in  this  bitter  contest,  might  have 
in  store  for  themselves. 

Around  the  encampment  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth,  were  thousands  of  McClellan's  veterans 
returned  from  the  Peninsular  campaign.  Among  these 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.S.    VOLS.  2j 

the  soldiers  of  the  regiment  found  many  friends  from 
the  North,  whose  accounts  of  the  battles  they  had  fought, 
the  hardships  they  had  endured  and  the  "  moving  acci 
dents  by  flood  and  field  "  they  had  experienced,  were 
listened  to  by  them  with  the  liveliest  interest.  A  grand 
review,  composed  of  these  troops,,  and  others  in  the  vicin 
ity,  was  held  on  October  2d,  in  a  large  field  about  two 
miles  from  Fairfax  Seminary.  Not  fewer  than  fifteen 
thousand  soldiers  formed  the  array,  the  various  arms  of 
the  service  being  all  represented.  The  general  officers 
reviewing,  were  Heintzleman,  Sickles  and  Carr.  The 
men  at  first,  were  formed  in  a  single  line  of  battle,  then 
in  three  lines,  with  artillery  in  the  rear.  The  ceremonies 
usual  on  these  occasions  were  performed  with  full 
knowledge  of  what  was  proper  to  each.  The  appear 
ance  of  the  battalions  and  of  the  whole  array  was 
soldierly  and  imposing,  and  well  deserved  the  commen 
dations  bestowed  upon  it,  in  which  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twentieth  Regiment  had  a  merited  share  of  honor. 
In  the  new  organization  of  the  army  under  Burnside, 
soon  to  take  place,  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth 
Regiment  was  to  form  part  of  the  Second  (Excelsior) 
brigade  belonging  to  Sickles'  Second  division,  Colonel 
George  B.  Hall  being  in  command  of  the  brigade. 

Up  to  October  nth,  the  regiment  remained  in  the 
same  camping  ground  at  the  Seminary.  The  duties  of 
camp  life  were  performed  day  by  day  with  strict  regu 
larity,  but  the  incidents  and  transactions  of  these  days, 
having  so  much  in  common,  do  not  require  a  particular 
detail.  The  regiment  took  up  its  march  on  the  i  ith  of 
October,  toward  Upton's  Hill,  not  only  leaving  its 
pleasant  camping  ground  of  the  previous  weeks,  but 


28  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  V.  S.    VOLS. 

with  it  many  articles  of  personal  comfort  which  had 
solaced  the  soldiers  -  while  continuing  there.  Both 
officers  and  men  were  required  to  dispense  with  what 
ever  was  unnecessary  and  retain  no  superfluous  clothing 
or  baggage  or  utensils  to  cumber  their  movements  in 
the  field.  This  looked  like  a  speedy  entering  on  an 
aggressive  campaign. 

Their  present  encampment  at  Upton's  Hill,  was  near 
the  spot  where  the  Twentieth  N.  Y.  S.  M.,  had  their 
quarters  the  previous  winter  and  within  a  short  distance 
of  Falls  Church,  a  quaint  old  edifice,  with  historic  mem 
ories,  within  whose  grounds  a  number  of  the  Twentieth's 
deceased  soldiers  are  interred.  During  the  remaining 
days  of  October,  the  regiment  continued  within  the  same 
narrow  bounds,  moving  its  camp  a  few  miles  from  time 
to  time,  marching  on  the  i;th  from  Upton's  Hill  and 
again  pitching  its  tents  at  Fairfax  Seminary.  Little 
occurred  of  special  interest  except  a  grand  review  on 
the  22d,  of  some  twenty  thousand  troops  near  Alex 
andria,  at  which  President  Lincoln,  Secretaries  Seward 
and  Stanton,  Generals  Banks  and  Sickles,  and  a  large 
number  of  other  generals  and  government  officials  were 
present.  On  the  last  day  of  October,  orders  were 
received  to  be  in  readiness  to  march  next  morning.  On 
November  ist,  accordingly,  the  sick  were  sent  to  the 
hospital  and  the  whole  division  stood  arrayed  in  march 
ing  order.  Baggage,  ammunition  and  supply  trains, 
artillery,  ambulances,  and  long  lines  of  troops  with 
their  colors  displayed  were  presently  in  motion.  The 
soldiers  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth,  with  their 
shelter-tents  strapped  to  their  knapsacks,  took  their 
position  in  the  marching  column.  Their  fortunes  now 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS.  2  9 

and  henceforth  were  to  be  joined  to  those  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac.  Their  faces  were  turned  toward  the 
South  where  the  enemy  they  proposed  to  meet  were 
known  to  be,  nor  were  they  to  turn  back  from  the  task 
undertaken,  till  the  great  conflict  was  fought  through 
and  the  victory  won. 

General  McClellan,  it  is  known,  remained  for  weeks 
near  the  battle  field  of  Antietam  and  seemed  to  have 
grown  to  the  ground  there,  so  long  and  persistently  did 
he  cling  to  it.  Repeated  and  urgent  messages  from 
Washington  to  hasten  his  departure  in  pursuit  of  Lee 
effected  very  little.  He  pleaded  more  time  to  recruit 
his  exhausted  army  after  the  late  destructive  battle,  to 
clothe,  equip  and  provision  his  forces,  to  repair  the 
heavy  losses  he  had  sustained,  and  completely  fit  them  for 
the  work  they  were  expected  to  do.  At  length,  on  the 
26th  of  October,  nearly  seven  weeks  after  the  Antietam 
battle,  the  order  was  issued  to  pack  up  and  get  ready  to 
march.  The  direction  was  the  Potomac,  which  the  army 
was  to  cross  on  pontoons.  The  process  was  slow  and 
the  crossing  was  not  completed  'till  the  2d  of  Novem 
ber. 

Its  position  on  reaching  the  "  sacred  soil  "was  east 
of  the  Blue  Ridge,  along  the  line  of  which  it  moved 
slowly  southward,  having  advanced  on  the  7th  of  No 
vember,  to  Warrenton.  While  encamped  near  this 
place,  an  order  arrived  from  Washington  on  this  day 
relieving  General  McClellan  from  the  command  of  the 
army  and  putting  General  Burnside  in  his  place.  It 
seemed  a  hard  measure  to  the  man  who  had  so  promptly 
and  skilfully  reorganized  Pope's  discomfited  army, 
achieved  the  victory  of  South  Mountain  and  driven  Lee 


3O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

out  of  Maryland,  but  the  Washington  authorities  were 
bent  on  rebuking,  what  they  considered  McClellan's  tardi 
ness  of  movement,  and  this  was  the  result.  They  placed  a 
chief  in  command  of  whom  they  expected  a  more  prompt 
and  aggressive  action  and  more  decisive  results.  How 
far  this  expectation  was  to  be  verified,  the  events  of  a 
few  weeks  were  to  determine.  Meanwhile,  Burnside 
having  submitted  his  plan  of  operations  to  the  "  powers  " 
at  Washington  and  received  assent  to  it,  at  once  began 
his  march  toward  Fredericksburg,  before  which  city  by 
the  1 9th  of  October,  the  three  "  grand  divisions  "  of  his 
army,  consisting  of  127,574  officers  and  men  had  arrived. 
The  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment,  as  a  part 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  was  guided  by  the  move 
ments  of  the  whole.  Sickles'  division,  was  the  Second  of 
the  Third  Corps,  which  with  the  Fifth  Corps,  formed  the 
Centre  Grand  Division,  commanded  by  General  Joseph 
Hooker.  Parts  of  this  force  were  already  before  Fred 
ericksburg  and  its  other  subdivisions  were  steadily  draw 
ing  together,  to  the  same  point.  The  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth,  after  marches  to  Centreville,  Bull  Run,  Bris- 
toe  Station  and  other  points,  encamped  on  the  icth  of 
November,  at  Manasses  Junction,  where  they  saw  Gen 
eral  McClellan,  on  leaving  the  army,  receive  and  return 
the  greeting  of  the  troops.  Thence  their  course  was 
toward  the  Rappahannock.  They  crossed  Occoquan 
Creek  on  the  25th  ;  passed  through  Dumfries  on  the  26th  ; 
Stafford  on  the  27th,  and  on  the  28th,  encamped  within 
two  miles  of  Falmouth,  opposite  Fredericksburg.  The 
army  of  Burnside  was  now  concentrated,  a  narrow  river 
alone  separating  it  from  the  foe  it  had  marched  hither  to 
encounter. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

BURNSIDE  CROSSES  THE  RAPPAHANNOCK ASSAULTS  THE  ENEMY'S  DEFENSES 

HIS     DISASTROUS     DEFEAT     AND     LOSSES — THE     ONE      HUNDRED     AND 

TWENTIETH  NOT  IN  THE  MAIN  ASSAULT UNDER  FIRE  FOR  THE  FIRST  TIME 

MOVEMENTS  AND  SERVICES  OF  THE  REGIMENT  BEFORE  AND  AFTER  THE 

BATTLE AN  ARMISTICE  TO  REMOVE  THE  WOUNDED  AND  BURY  THE  DEAD 

UNION  ARMY  RECROSSES  THE  RIVER MORAL  OF  THE  DEFEAT. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  go  into  a  detailed  description 
of  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  that  proved  so  disas 
trous  to  the  Union  army.  This  narrative  is  concerned 
chiefly  with  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regi 
ment,  and  the  part  it  played  in  the  mighty  drama,  the 
several  acts  cf  which  were  now  developing,  one  by  one. 
A  sketch,  however,  of  the  several  battles  in  which  the 
regiment  shared,  is  necessary,  in  order  that  the  situation 
in  which  it  was  placed  from  time  to  time,  the  character 
of  the  service  it  rendered  and  how  this  service  was 
performed,  may  appear  in  a  distinct  light.  Burnside's 
plan  was  an  immediate  crossing  of  the  river  as  soon  as 
it  could  be  reached,  the  occupying  of  Fredericksburg 
while  Lee's  army  was  far  away,  and  then  a  rapid  and 
direct  movement  upon  Richmond.  Halleck  telegraphed 
to  Burnside  the  President's  view  of  the  plan  in  these 
words,  "he  thinks  it  will  succeed  if  you  move  rapidly, 
otherwise  not."  Had  Burnside  been  able  to  cross  the 
Rappahannock,  on  or  about  the  igth  of  November, 
when  his  forces  were  all  collected  and  ready  to  pass 


3  2  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

over,  he  might  have  succeeded  in  his  design.     Certainly, 
the  history  of  the  bloody  days  that  soon  followed  would 
have   been    very    different.     As   it  was,  the  pontoons 
which  were  to  have  been  at  the  river  at  the  time  the 
General  and  his  troops  reached  it,  did  not  arrive  until 
the  25th.     By  this  time  a  considerable  force  of  the  Con 
federates  had  reached  Fredericksburg,  followed  within  a 
short  interval  by  their  whole  army,  which  was  soon  for 
midably  entrenched  on  the  hills  overlooking  the  city. 
The  crossing  could  now  only  be  effected  in  the  face  of  a 
determined  and  powerful  foe,  ready  to  rain  down  de 
struction  upon  all  assailants  and  eager,   in  fact,  to  be 
assailed  in  their  chosen  stronghold.     A  sagacious  and 
prudent   commander  would    have  paused  long  before 
dooming  his  men  to  so  desperate  an  undertaking.     But, 
excellent  though  General  Burnside  might  be  as  a  man, 
and  brave  as  a  soldier  and  fitted  to  lead  a  division  or 
even  a  corps  skillfully,-  he  lacked  the  ability,  as  some 
stronger  men  than  he,  in  the  like  position,  also  did,  to 
inspire  and  manage  the  combinations  of  a  great  army  so 
that  the  best  results  might  be  secured  by  the  most  suit 
able  means.     Even  Lee  himself,  whose  ability  to  com 
mand  an  entire  army  was  not  often  questioned,  commit- 
mitted  on  the  third  day  of  Gettysburg,  a  blunder  sim 
ilar  to  that  committed  by  Burnside,  on  the  iz|.th  of  De 
cember,  when  he  hurled  his  devoted  masses  against  the 
redoubts  and  entrenchments  of  Marye's    Hill,    before 
which  they  fell  in  frightful  numbers  by  the  hands  of  foes 
whom  no  mortal  valor  could  dislodge.     The  result   was 
such  as  might  have  been  and  should  have  been  readily 
foreseen.     The  repeated  attempts  to  carry  the  enemy's 
positions  had  failed  signally.     Our  brave  troops  were 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS  \  ^ 

*-J  *J 

repulsed  at  all  points,  and  within  a  day  or  two  the 
shattered  army  recrossed  the  Rappahannock  with  their 
numbers  diminished  by  thirteen  thousand,  dead  and 
wounded,  who  formed  the  ghastly  record  of  this  terrible 
day. 

Not  much  of  this  loss,  indeed,  -fell  upon  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment.  Its  position  in  this 
battle,  was  such,  as  not  to  render  it  exposed  to  the 
hottest  fire  of  the  enemy.  The  service  it  was  called 
upon  to  perform,  however,  from  the  time  it  encamped 
near  Falmouth,on  November  28th,  till  the  battle  of  the 
1 3th  of  December  closed,  was  arduous  and  efficient. 
The  cutting  of  wood,  for  the  construction  of  corduroy 
roads  found  necessary  for  the  use  of  the  army,  occupied 
many  men,  whose  labors  were  sometimes  continued 
through  the  entire  night.  Detachments  of  the  men 
were  posted  along  the  Rappahannock  day  and  night 
doing  picket  duty,  the  pickets  of  the  enemy  being  sta 
tioned  on  the  opposite  bank.  Incessant  vigilance  was 
necessary  in  the  immediate  presence  of  an  alert  enemy, 
and  the  getting  in  readiness  to  cross  the  river  for  the 
coming  attack,  called  for  energetic  and  persistent  work 
from  every  department  of  the  Union  army. 

The  men  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  had 
their  full  share  of  the  toil,  hardship  and  privation  which 
in  the  cold  and  sometimes  stormy  December  days  and 
nights,  befel  the  army  on  the  eve  of  its  grim  encounter 
with  the  enemy.  On  the  night  of  the  I2th  the  brigade 
to  which  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  was  attached, 
marched  five  miles  down  the  river  and  bivouaced  in 
the  woods.  On  the  I3th,  the  day  of  the  battle,  the 
brigade  moved  to  the  hills  near  the  Rappahannock, 

3 


34  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

taking  station  in  rear  of  our  batteries  on  the  heights. 
General  Sickles'  division,   to    which   the    brigade    was 
attached,  was  posted  here  as  a  reserve.      This  position 
overlooked   the   city   of  Fredericksburg,   the    heights 
beyond  on  which  the  rebel  army  was  entrenched,  and 
the  wide  plain  separating  the  two.     They  were  thus 
witnesses  of  the  battle  in  all  its  furious  progress.     They 
saw  the  repeated  charges  of  our  brave  troops  upon  the 
enemy's  works  ;  how  again  and  again  the  strong  posi 
tions  were  assailed  with  stubborn  but  unavailing  valor, 
while  the  cheers  of  our  soldiers  and  the  yells  of  the 
enemy  were  mingled  with  the  rattle  of  musketry  and 
the  roar  of  artillery.     General  Sickles'  division  was  sent 
to  re-enforce  the  Left  Centre  under  General  Franklin, 
whose   command  had  crossed   on   the    I2th,  and  now 
needed  whatever  reserves  could  be  brought  to  its  sup 
port.     This  division  began  to  cross  the  river  at  about 
3  p.  M.  of  the  1 3th,  the  battle  then  raging,  and  took  its 
assigned  position  at  the  front.     The  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth  got  over  the  river  about  sunset,  and  joining 
its  brigade  in  the  front  line  of  battle,  soon  found  what 
that  position  meant  by  the  shrieking  of  a  shell  which 
passed  over  their  heads,  burying  itself  in  the  ground 
behind  them.      Some  one  proposed  three  cheers — a 
bravado,  by  the  way,  which  veteran  troops  would  never 
have  displayed — for  the  first  shot  which  sternly  saluted 
the  regiment,  and  the  men  were  beginning  to  respond, 
when  the  untimely  outburst  was  checked,  by  fear  of 
attracting  the  notice  of  the  enemy.     The  men  however, 
made  themselves  merry  with  an  incident  which  pres 
ently  attracted  their  notice.     One  of  the  captains  sent 
his  colored  servant  to  bring  in  some  cornstalks  from  a 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  ~>  5 

stack  standing  near.  He  had  brought  one  armful,  had 
returned  and  loaded  himself  with  a  second,  with  which 
he  was  just  starting,  when  a  solid  shot  struck  the  stack, 
scattering  its  contents  around.  In  a  trice  the  doughty 
African  was  flat  on  his  back,  with  his  armful  of  stalks 
covering  him  in  front  like  a  shield  and  clasped  tightly 
to  his  breast,  as  though  safety  from  rambling  cannon 
balls  lay  only  in  that.  It  was  found  hard  enough  to  get 
him  to  come  out  from  his  cover  and  stand  erect,  with 
such  perils  compassing  him  around. 

Shortly  after  dark  a  company  was  advanced  as  skirm 
ishers,  reaching  a  ditch  running  parallel  with  the  line  of 
battle.  The  enemy's  position  could  be  seen  from  a  hill 
that  rose  just  before  them.  Here  the  horrors  of  a 
battle-field  were  visible  all  around  them,  the  ground 
they  occupied  having  been  fought  over  that  day,  being 
strewn  with  dead,  and  having  other  signs  that  mark  a 
sanguinary  struggle.  When  the  morning  dawned  they 
found  themselves  within  range  of  the  sharpshooters' 
rifles,  and  were  ordered  to  fall  back  to  a  more  sheltered 
position.  A  lieutenant  and  ten  men  who  were  detailed 
for  special  duty  on  the  same  night,  got  beyond  the 
picket  line,  and  creeping  on  hands  and  knees  among 
the  dead  and  wounded,  were  so  near  the  enemy's  lines 
as  to  hear  their  soldiers  in  conversation.  They  re 
mained  in  this  position  till  after  midnight,  when  they 
crept  back  to  their  picket  line,  with  only  one  of  their 
number  wounded. 

On  Sunday  the  i4th,  the  regiment  lay  on  their  arms 
in  the  front  all  day,  under  fire  of  the  enemy's  guns, 
though  the  combat  had  virtually  ceased,  only  occasional 
missiles  from  musket  and  cannon  being  exchanged. 


36  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

On  the  1 5th  the  same  comparative  quiet  pervaded  the 
two  armies,  and  at  2  r.  M.  a  flag  of  truce  brought  about 
a  cessation  of  hostilities.  This  was  done  in  order  that 
our  wounded  might  be  taken  from  the  field  and  our  dead 
buried.  While  this  sacred  office  was  performing,  the 
pickets  of  the  Union  and  rebel  forces  were  seen  in 
neighborly,  if  not  friendly  intercourse,  exchanging  such 
commodities  as  each  party  desired  to  obtain  of  the 
other,  "  Yankee"  sugar  and  coffee,  for  "  Johnnie  "  hoe- 
cake  and  tobacco,  forming  the  staple  articles  in  the 
barter.  There  was  now  nothing  more  for  the  Uuion 
army  to  do  on  the  south  side  of  the  Rappahannock, 
and  all  that  remained  for  it  at  present,  was  to  re -cross 
the  river.  This  was  accomplished  on  the  i6th,  with 
out  molestation  from  the  enemy,  The  bridges  were 
taken  up,  and  the  old  camping  ground  before  the 
disastrous  battle,  was  re-occupied.  The  ordeal  through 
which  the  army  had  passed  since  the  I2th,  had 
been  a  terrible  one,  and  it  was  small  solace  to  the  sur 
vivors  of  the  conflict,  and  to  the  hearts  lacerated  by 
losses  of  kindred  and  friends,  to  be  told,  and  to  know, 
that  the  bloody  catastrophe  might  have  been,  and  with 
more  wisdom  at  the  helm,  would  have  been  avoided. 
The  lesson  learned,  had  been  a  stern  one  to  the  Union 
army,  whose  spirit  never  quailed  under  the  worst 
reverses,  and  which  calmly  and  with  good  heart,  abided 
the  time  when  Fortune  would  smile  upon  it  and  reward  its 
constancy  and  valor  with  deserved  victory.  That  day 
might  be  distant,  indeed,  and  many  a  deadly  struggle  of 
contending  hosts  must  ensue  before  its  dawn,  but  it  was 
surely  coming.  And  the  brave  Union  heart,  true  to  the 
right,  and  strong  in  its  faith,  was  content  to  wait  and  see. 


CHAPTER  V. 

SICKNESS  AND  DEATH    IN    CAMP — THE    FAMOUS    "MUD    MARCH  "  AND    WHAT 

CAME     OF     IT THE     ARMY'S     NEW     COMMANDER,      GENERAL     HOOKER 

EFFECTS  OF  THE  CHANGE  ON  THE  TROOPS ARMY    IN   WINTER  QUARTERS 

COLONEL    SHARPE    GOES    ON    HOOKER'S    STAFF,    LIEUTENANT-COLONEL 

WESTBROOK  IN  COMMAND  OF  THE    REGIMENT THE    SOLDIERS    CHEERED 

BY  TOKENS  FROM    HOME PRESIDENT    LINCOLN'S    VISIT    AND    REVIEW    OF 

TROOPS INCIDENTS GETTING  READY  FOR  A  FORWARD  MOVEMENT. 

For  several  days  after  reaching  their  encampment  on 
the  north  bank  of  the  Rappahannock,  the  soldiers  of  the 
army  enjoyed  quiet  and  rest  undisturbed.  It  was  a 
pleasant  relief  from  the  confusing  noises  which  had  late 
ly  stunned  the  ear,  and  from  the  toilsome  days  and 
comfortless  nights  which  the  situation,  the  past  week, 
had  imposed.  The  men  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth,  though  shivering  under  their  slight  shelter 
tents,  in  the  cold  December  nights,  shared,  in  common 
with  the  army,  the  restful  feeling,  arising  from  release 
for  a  season — a  brief  one  it  might  be — from  the  exhaust 
ing  burdens  attendant  on  their  recent  services  in  front 
of  the  enemy's  works.  But  all  burdens  were  not  taken 
off,  even  now.  For  sickness,  with  heavy-pressing  hand, 
finds  its  way  into  the  quietest  camps,  and  death,  with 
his  levelling  stroke,  comes  to  soldier  and  civilian  alike. 

Three  members  of  the  regiment,  died  on  Sunday,  the 
2  ist,  one  of  whom  was  the  captain  of  company  H, 
Charles  H.  McEntee,  a  brave  and  meritorious  soldier, 
and  an  estimable  man.  The  two  others  were  private 


38  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

soldiers,  Isaac  E.  Shultis,  of  company  A  and  Matthew 
Stokes,  of  company  C.  These  two  were  buried  here 
with  the  usual  military  honors,  while  the  captain's  re 
mains,  escorted  to  the  railroad  station  by  the  company 
he  had  commanded,  were  forwarded  to  his  late  home 
at  Rondout. 

When  the  year  1863  opened,  and  during  the  whole 
of  January,  a  considerable  number  of  the  regiment  were 
on  the  sick  list.  The  hospital  tents,  fitted  for  their 
accommodation,  had  many  occupants  who  needed  the 
doctor's  care,  and  from  these,  from  time  to  time,  com 
rades  who  had  succumbed  to  disease,  were  carried 
forth  to  their  burial.  From  the  diary  referred  to  in  the 
introductory  chapter,  this  record  of  January  i6th,  is 
taken  : — "  Much  sickness  prevails.  Almost  every  day 
we  heard  the  muffled  drums,  as  one  of  our  comrades 
was  carried  to  the  grave.  To-day,  the  regiment  mus 
ters  only  400  men  fit  for  duty."  Life  in  the  field,  under 
tents,  in  cold  and  often  stormy  weather,  as  the  case 
was  now,  so  different  from  what  the  men  had  been 
accustomed  to  at  home,  with  privations  and  hardships 
hitherto  untried,  tolcl  strongly  upon  the  health  of  many, 
so  that  the  losses  in  battle  were  found  not  to  outnumber 
those  that  the  army  sustained  from  other  causes  as  the 
war  progressed.  In  fact,  disease  caused  far  greater 
mortality  than  the  bullet.:i:  The  shelter  tent,  indeed,  so 
unfitted  to  keep  out  cold,  so  provocative  of  chills,  fevers, 
lung  diseases,  rheumatism  and  other  ailments,  might  be 

*  From  a  statement  prepared  in  the  Adjutant-General's  office,  it 
appears,  that  during  the  war,  1861-65,  the  number  of  Union  soldiers 
illed  in  battle  was  67,058  ;  died  of  wounds,  43,012,  total,  110,067. 
Died  of  disease,  199,720. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S,    VOLS.  39 

supplanted  by  log  cabins,  made  tight  and  comfortable 
by  the  craft  of  soldier  workmen.  If  only  sure  of  remain 
ing  in  winter  quarters  there,  this  change  would  have 
been  made,  and  was,  in  fact,  begun  by  the  regiment  as 
early  as  January  Qth.  But  Burnside  was  still  in  com 
mand  and  yearned  to  regain  the  confidence  of  the  army 
by  some  bold  stroke  against  the  enemy,  that  would 
measureably  redeem  the  recent  sore  failure.  With  this 
in  view,  plans  wrere  buzzing  through  his  brain,  among 
them  one  of  re-crossing  the  Rappahannock  a  few  miles 
above  Fredericksburg,  and  falling  upon  Lee's  forces 
when  unprepared.  This  led  to  the  issuing  of  orders  to 
his  army  to  be  prepared  at  any  moment  to  march.  And 
so  on  the  2Oth  of  January,  the  march  actually  began— 
very  slowly  and  toilfully,  because  of  the  roads — con 
tinuing  only  a  mile  and  a  half,  that  afternoon.  It  was 
resumed  early  on  the  2ist,  amid  a  pouring  rain  which 
had  begun  the  evening  before,  continuing  without  ces 
sation  all  night.  The  diary  referred  to,  describes  the 
situation  in  these  words  : 

"The  pontoons,  artillery  and  some  of  the  wagon  trains,  were  in 
the  advance,  and  the  troops  were  slowly  and  sullenly  moving  through 
the  driving  storm  and  deep,  sticky  mud.  The  wagons  and  artillery 
sank  to  their  axles,  so  that  twelve  horses  could  not  move  a  small  field 
gun.  At  3  P.M.,  we  had  gained  about  six  miles. 
We  expected  to  cross  the  river  early  the  next  morning,  and  to  be  placed 
in  position  to  attack  the  enemy's  lines,  but  the  mud  was  so  deep  it  was 
impossible  to  move  our  trains.  At  3  P.  M.,  the  regiment  was  ordered 
out  without  arms  to  cut  poles  and  make  corduroy  roads.  We  built  the 
road  to  a  point  from  which  we  could  see  the  enemy,  across  the  river. 
They  seemed  to  be  well-informed  in  regard  to  our  movements,  for 
they  had  painted,  on  a  large  board,  clearly  legible  from  this  side, 
'  Burnside  and  his  pontoons  stuck  in  the  mud — move  at  i  o'clock, 
three  days'  rations  in  haversacks.'" 


4O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

This  was  the  famous  "  Mud  March,"  which,  by  the 
testimony  of  all  whose  lot  it  was  to  share  it,  rendered 
every  other  that  the  faithful  Army  of  the  Potomac  ever 
made,  as  child's  play,  in  comparison.  Dead  horses  and 
mules  strewed  all  the  road  over  which  the  men  returned 
to  their  camp.  The  expedition  was  at  an  end,  and  fortun 
ate  for  the  army  that  it  was.  General  Franklin,  in  a  letter 
to  Halleck — written  after  the  war — pithily  expressed  it, 
"  So  I  looked  upon  the  rain  which  stopped  his  (Burn- 
side's)  second  attempt  to  cross  the  river,  (the  Mud 
March),  as  a  Providential  interference  in  our  behalf." 

The  control  of  the  army  was  now  to  pass  into  other 
hands.  On  the  25th  of  January,  1863,  an  order  arrived 
from  Washington,  relieving-  General  Burnside  of  the 
command  of  the  army,  and  appointing  General  Joseph 
Hooker,  in  his  place.  Hooker  was  a  soldier  of  ripe 
experience,  with  a  high  record  as  brigade,  division  and 
corps  commander,  having  shown  marked  ability  in  the 
management  of  these  several  commands.  His  brave 
and  fearless  spirit,  his  readiness  to  fight  the  enemy 
whenever  a  chance  to  win  presented  and  even  when  that 
chance  seemed  doubtful,  and  his  bearing  on  the  field  as 
a  gallant  soldier  and  chivalric  leader,  had  gained  for  him 
the  name  of  "  Fighting  Joe  Hooker,"  so  expressive  of 
the  sense  the  soldiers  had  of  his  heroic  and  aggressive 
qualities.  His  popularity  with  the  troops  was  undoubt 
ed,  and  his  advancement  to  the  chief  command,  after 
Fredericksburg,  was  hailed  by  them,  at  least,  with  lively 
satisfaction.  Whether  the  superior  officers  regarded 
him  as  fully  competent  for  his  present  high  trust,  is 
another  question.  It  is  safe  to  say,  that  some  of  these 
had  doubts  on  this  subject.  He  was  soon  to  test,  how- 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  4  I 

ever,  as  his  predecessor  had  done,  his  capacity  for  the 
charge  and  direction  of  a  great  army,  and  had  the  best 
wishes  of  all  for  his  success.  It  is  certain  that  under  his 
administration,  a  new  vigor  was  soon  infused  into  the 
army.  General  Couch,  speaking  of  what  took  place 
after  Hooker  assumed  command,  says  :  "  I  have  never 
known  men  to  change  from  a  condition  of  lowest  depres 
sion  to  that  of  a  healthy  fighting  state  in  so  short  a 
time."  The  strength  and  spirits  of  the  army  both,  were 
well  recruited  by  the  rest,  in  winter  quarters.  Furloughs 
were  generously  given  during  this  period  of  inaction, 
and  with  excellent  results,  those  receiving  them  return 
ing  promptly  to  their  posts  when  their  leaves  of  absence 
expired.  In  discipline,  in  fighting  material,  in  courage, 
in  enthusiasm,  a  finer  body  of  men  than  the  army  which 
Hooker  commanded  when  the  spring  of  1863  opened, 
it  would  be  hard  indeed  to  find.  Its  numbers,  too, 
amounted  to  nearly,  if  not  quite,  126,000  men,  and  what 
achievements  might  not  be  effected  for  the  Union 
cause,  when  such  an  army  should  come  in  conflict  with 
its  foes ! 

During  the  months  of  February,  March  and  April, 
while  the  army  lay  in  winter  quarters  before  Fredericks- 
burg,  little  occurred  in  the  experience  of  the  regiment, 
requiring  special  mention.  There  were  some  deaths  of 
the  members  in  hospital,  a  record  of  which  will  appear 
in  another  place.  Some  changes,  too,  in  officers,  occurred 
through  transfer  and  resignations.  Colonel  Sharpe,  much 
to  the  regret  of  the  regiment,  received  in  February,  an 
appointment  on  the  staff  of  General  Hooker,  which  he 
was  induced  to  accept,  devolving  thus,  the  command  of 
the  regiment,  on  Lieutenant-Colonel  Westbrook,  who 


42  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

continued  in  command  till  disabled  by  a  wound,  at 
Gettysburg;.  Adjutant  Selah  O.  Tuthill,  Captains  Pier- 
son  and  S.  S.  Westbrook,  and  Lieutenant  Dumond 
Elmenclorf  resigned,  and  their  places,  as  will  appear 
elsewhere,  were  duly  filled.  The  army  was  well  sup 
plied  with  stores  and  provisions.  Mails  came  regularly 
with  their  welcome  freight  of  letters  from  home,  and 
papers  bringing  news  of  what  was  passing  in  the  world 
without,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  soldiers'  homes, 
which  interested  them  still  more.  Other  remembrances 
also  came,  in  the  shape  of  boxes  and  packages,  containing 
articles  to  minister  to  the  comfort  of  the  men  in  the 
field,  and  these  tokens  came  close  home  to  the  hearts  of 
the  various  recipients.  For  the  men  who  honored  reli 
gion,  and  sought  to  practise  its  precepts  amid  the  din  of 
arms  and  the  hindrances  interposed  to  Christian  duty  on 
the  tented  field,  the  God-fearing  officer's  tent  was 
opened,  where,  while  off  camp  duty,  many  like-minded 
were  glad  to  assemble  and  find  comfort  and  strength  in 
the  words  of  praise,  prayer  and  exhortation  heard  with 
in,  and  support  in  the  great  struggle  going  on,  in  an  arm 
mightier  than  man's.  President  Lincoln,  whose  reve 
rent  spirit  led  him  habitually  to  look  upward  for  help  to 
bear  the  grievous  burdens  pressing  on  him,  was  ever 
the  friend  of  the  chaplains,  and  was  pleased  to  have  them 
lead  the  soldiers  to  trust  in  that  Supreme  Protector 
without  whose  guardianship  of"  the  city,  the  watchman 
waketh  but  in  vain." 

The  President's  great  anxiety  for  the  safety  of  the 
country,  and  for  the  success  of  its  armies,  led  him  often 
to  the  front  when  troops  lay  within  easy  reach  from 
Washington.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  him  at 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  43 

reviews,  mingling  familiarly  with  officers,  and  express 
ing  sympathy  with  the  troops  in  their  sacrifices  for  the 
common  cause,  and  inspiring  confidence  by  his  hopeful 
words  and  by  his  serene  faith  in  the  ultimate  success  of 
the  right.  On  the  6th  of  this  month  the  whole  cavalry 
force  of  the  Potomac  army  was  reviewed  by  the  Presi 
dent  and  General  Hooker,  near  Falmouth.  Mrs.  Lincoln 
was  with  him  on  this  occasion,  and  their  little  son  "Tad," 
the  boy  riding  a  pony  and  Mrs.  Lincoln  seated  in  a  car 
riage  drawn  by  six  horses.  Many  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twentieth  were  spectators  of  the  review,  which 
presented  a  more  superb  and  imposing  display  than  it 
had  ever  been  their  privilege  to  see.  On  the  7th  4<  the 
boys "  were  out  in  force  to  see  the  President,  as  he 
passed  through  their  camp.  His  thoughtful,  honest, 
care-worn  face,  lit  up  at  times  with  a  smile  while  con 
versing  with  those  near  him,  impressed  them  deeply, 
and  many  spoke  what  they  felt,  that  he  was  indeed  the 
man  for  the  crisis,  and  fitly  chosen  to  pilot  the  ship  of 
state  safely  through  the  tempestuous  seas.  On  April 
8th  the  Third  Corps,  under  General  Sickles,  was  reviewed 
by  the  President  near  the  Lacey  House,  opposite  Fred- 
ericksburg.  The  Corps  was  arrayed  in  line  of  battle, 
forty  regiments  in  double  column  forming  the  right,  a 
number  of  batteries  of  artillery  the  left,  while  a  hundred 
yards  in  rear  of  the  centre,  the  immense  baggage, 
ammunition  and  supply  trains  were  located,  with  2,000 
mules  attached  to  the  multitudinous  wagons  of  the  trains. 
Apropos  of  the  mules,  a  stirring,  and  but  for  its  sober 
accompaniments,  a  ludicrous  incident  here  occurred. 
For  as  a  battery  suddenly  opened  in  salute  of  the  review 
ing  party,  some  of  the  long-eared  quadrupeds,  not  yet 


44  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

hardened  to  the  roar  of  cannon,  were  seized  with  a 
panic,  ensuing  in  a  stampede  of  a  large  number.  Mules 
dashed  against  mules,  and  against  and  over  all  obstacles 
that  rose  before  them,  producing  a  scene  of  the  wildest 
confusion  and  dismay.  Nor  did  the  scene  pass  without 
harm  resulting,  for  a  number  of  men  received  hurts 
more  or  less  serious,  and  not  a  few  mules  had  broken 
legs  and  other  injuries,  making  the  killing  of  them 
necessary.  Notwithstanding  this  exciting  episode,  not 
down  in  the  bills,  the  review  went  along  according 
to  the  programme,  and  was  in  every  respect  a  grand 
military  display,  well  deserving  the  encomiums  it 
received. 

On  April  loth  the  regiment  went  with  the  whole 
brigade  to  General  Sickles'  headquarters  to  see  the 
President  take  leave  of  the  army,  on  his  return  to  Wash 
ington.  The  troops  lined  both  sides  of  the  corduroy 
road  they  had  built,  the  lines  extending  from  General 
Hooker's  headquarters  to  the  railway  station.  The 
President,  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  little  son  in  a  carriage  pre 
ceded  Generals  Hooker  and  Sickles  and  their  staffs, 
while  cheers  uprose  from  the  troops,  and  strains  of  mar 
tial  music  rent  the  air,  proclaiming  how  the  hearts  of  all 
were  affected  toward  their  kind,  wise  ruler,  and  how 
warmly  they  responded  to  his  good  wishes  for  triumphs 
soon  to  come. 

All  indications  now  pointed  to  the  speedy  beginning 
.of  active  work  in  the  field.  The  last  inspections  were 
held,  requisite  stores  were  supplied,  articles  not  essen 
tial  to  an  army  in  marching  and  fighting  trim,  were  laid 
aside  to  be  left  behind,  and  all  were  awaiting  the  daily 
expected  summons  to  break  camp  and  march  forth 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  46 

against  the  enemy.  General  Stoneman,  in  command  of 
the  cavalry,  had  received  his  orders  before  the  1 3th  of 
April,  to  cross  the  Rappahannock  at  its  upper  fords  and 
sweep  down  upon,  and  cut  off  Lee's  communications 
with  Richmond,  with  the  design  of  forcing  the  latter  to 
fall  back  on  his  depots  and  give  up  Fredericksburg. 
The  crossing  could  not  be  effected,  by  reason  of  heavy 
and  continuous  rains  which  made  the  river  unfordable 
for  many  days  at  the  point  he  meant  to  cross,  nor  did  he 
get  over  till  the  main  army  had  crossed,  and  the  work 
he  was  sent  to  do,  even  if  possible  then  to  be  done, 
ceased  to  be  of  any  avail.  By  the  3Oth  of  April,  the 
principal  part  of  the  army  had  crossed  the  river,  General 
Hooker  having  reached  Chancellorsville,  at  6  p.  M.,  of 
that  day,  with  four  corps,  besides  that  of  General 
Sickles,  in  reserve  and  near  at  hand.  The  crossing  had 
been  effected  skillfully  and  expeditiously,  and  it  looked 
as  though  Hooker's  plan  for  enveloping  and  crushing 
the  hostile  army,  was  in  a  fair  way  of  successful  ex 
ecution.  It  was  not  owing  to  any  misgiving  on  the  part 
of  the  General  commanding,  or  want  of  perfect  con 
fidence  in  the  success  of  his  plans  and  manoeuvres,  that 
he  did  not  succeed.  His  jubilant  manifesto,  issued  at 
Chancellorsville,  and  read  by  Colonel  Westbrook,  on 
this  same  3Oth  of  April  before  the  regiment,  which  had 
not  yet  crossed  the  river,  proclaims  how  sanguine  the 
General  felt  of  grasping  a  splendid  victory,  such  a  thing 
as  failure  being  judged  by  him  quite  out  of  the  question. 
It  ran  in  these  ambitious  words,  which  remind  one 
strongly  of  Pope's  grandiloquent  address  when  he 
assumed  command  of  the  army,  a  short  time  before  Bull 
Run  : 


46  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

"It  is  with  heartfelt  satisfaction  that  the  Commanding  General 
announces  to  the  army,  that  the  operations  of  the  last  three  days 
have  determined  that  our  enemy  must  either  ingloriously  fly,  or  come 
out  from  behind  his  entrenchments  and  give  us  battle  on  our  own 
ground,  where  certain  destruction  awaits  him.  The  operations  of 
the  Fifth,  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Corps  have  been  a  succession  of 
splendid  achievements. 

"  By  command  of  Major  General  Hooker." 

The  "  achievements  "  of  getting  on  the  ground  in  so 
alert  and  silent  a  way  as  to  surprise  Lee,  still  at  Fredericks- 
burg,  were  no  doubt  " splendid"  enough,  but  they  were 
after  all  only  preliminary,  deciding  nothing  so  long  as  the 
remaining  steps  in   the   plan  were  not  properly  taken. 
Hooker's  plan  in  brief  was,  to  have  Sedgwick  with  three 
corps  cross  the  Rappahannock  below   Fredericksburg, 
himself  holding  four  corps  under  his  own  eye  around  Chan- 
cellorsville,  and  then  have  the  two  wings  move  toward 
each  other,  taking  the  enemy  in  flank  and  in  reverse, 
and  thus  effect  his  "certain  destruction,"  as  the  order 
expressed  it.      It  was  a   very  pretty  plan,  similar  to 
McClellan's  plan   at  Antietam— though   this    had  bet 
ter  results— and    might    have    succeeded    had  it  been 
promptly  and  thoroughly  carried  out,  and  had  nothing 
unexpected  occurred  to  disconcert  and  overthrow  it.    But 
such  unforeseen  thing  did  occur  in  the  shape  of  Stone 
wall   Jackson's    little    counter-move    against    Hooker's 
Eleventh  corps   under   Howard,    lying  far  off  to    the 
right,  unguarded,  unsuspicious   of  danger,  in   military 
phrase  "in  the   air,"   and  thus  presenting  a  tempting 
prize   to  the   eye  of  an   enterprising  adversary.     The 
attack,  which  fell  like  a  thunderbolt  from  a  clear  sky, 
suddenly  turned  Hooker's  sunshine  into  black  clouds! 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  <\J 

and  thenceforward  he  had  all  he  could  do  to  repel,  with 
out  being  himself  overthrown,  the  fierce  and  repeated 
onslaughts  of  the  foe.  What  share  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twentieth  Regiment  had  in  the  progress  of  this 
grim  and  sanguinary  conflict,  will  appear  in  the  follow 
ing  chapter. 

At  this  stage  of  the  war,  the  crossing  of  the  Rappa- 
hannock  by  the  Union  army  seemed  the  certain  presage 
of  defeat  and  disaster.  After  two  gallant  attempts  to 
win  victory  beyond  this  river,  resulting  in  failure,  further 
effort  in  this  direction,  as  the  faint-hearted  would  be 
ready  to  say,  might  as  well  be  abandoned.  But  the 
faint-hearted  did  not  control  the  national  counsels,  nor 
pervade  the  armies  in  the  field,  as  would  be  shown  ere 
long  by  the  locality  where  the  great  final  triumphs  of 
the  war  were  achieved. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

CROSSING  THE  RAPPAHANNOCK — HOOKER  AND  HIS  ARMY  AT  CHANCELLORS- 

VILLE — STONEWALL  JACKSON'S  ATTACK  ON  HOWARD STAMPEDE  OF  THE 

ELEVENTH  CORPS CONFEDERATE  ADVANCE   ARRESTED — ACCOUNTS    OF 

THE  BATTLE  AND  THE  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH'S  PART  IN  IT. 
COLONEL  WESTBROOK'S  MEMORANDA — MR.  LEWIS'  DIARY  —  GENERAL 
DOUBLEDAY'S  HISTORY — DEATH  OF  GENERALS  BERRY  AND  WHIPPLE — 
ARMY  RECROSSES  THE  RAPPAHANNOCK LOSSES  AT  CHANCELLORSVILLE. 

On  the  afternoon  of  April  28th,  the  regiment  began 
its  march  toward  the  Rappahannock,  not  reluctant  to 
bid  farewell  to  the  rude  log- huts  in  which  they  had  been 
"  cabin'd,  cribbed,  confined,"  for  four  months.  Advanc 
ing  four  miles,  the  Excelsior  brigade  encamped  in  a 
wood  not  far  from  the  river-bank  above  Fredericks- 
burg.  It  remained  here  till  the  3Oth,  the  troops  cheered 
by  the  paymaster's  presence,  whom  they  had  not  seen 
for  several  months,  and  who  now  cancelled  all  arrears. 
This  did  the  "heart  good,  like  a  medicine,"  infusing 
fresh  strength  for  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  coming 
days. 

Resuming  their  march  at  noon,  they  held  on  their 
way  till  midnight ;  making  a  detour  to  avoid  the  enemy's 
observation,  the  brigade  bivouacking  in  an  open  field 
within  four  miles  of  United  States  Ford.  On  May  ist 
at  noon  they  crossed  the  river,  and  making  a  rapid 
march  of  five  miles,  were  stationed  in  support  of  a  bat 
tery.  The  position  occupied  was  nearly  in  the  rear  of 
the  centre  of  the  Union  line,  and  of  General  Hooker's 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  49 

headquarters,  at  the  Chancellors ville  House.  The 
division  of  General  Berry,  to  which  the  brigade  belonged, 
was  held  as  a  reserve. 

While  the  division  lay  at  this  point,  and  toward  the 
close  of  the  following  day,  May  2d,  Jackson's  famous 
attack  was  made  on  Howard's  Eleventh  Corps,  lying  on 
the  extreme  right  of  the  Union  lines.  The  effect  of 
this  attack,  as  is  well  known,  was  overwhelming.  The 
troops  of  Howard,  taken  by  surprise,  as  nearly  all  can 
did  authorities  agree,  many  of  them  away  from  their 
arms,  some  preparing  or  taking  their  evening  meal, 
had  little  time  to  form  line  or  make  effective  resistance 
against  the  sudden  storm  which  burst  upon  them.  With 
some  gallant,  though  unavailing  attempts,  on  the  part 
of  a  brigade  or  two,  to  stand  firm,  the  whole  corps  was 
thrown  into  confusion  and  became,  in  a  brief  space,  a 
disorganized,  flying  crowd,  that  streamed  in  wild  disorder 
to  the  rear,  past  Hooker's  headquarters.  Men,  wildly- 
seeking  their  own  safety,  horses,  with  and  without  riders, 
army  wagons  and  ambulances,  pack  mules,  beef  cattle 
bellowing  as  they  ran,  formed  a  scene  such  as  bedlam 
broke  loose  might  fitly  represent.  The  enemy,  yelling 
and  firing,  pressed  fast  on  the  heels  of  the  panic-stricken 
throng.  There  was  ground  for  fear,  that  other  troops 
stationed  in  the  route  of  these  fugitives,  might  not  escape 
the  contagion  of  fright,  or  might  not  be  able  to  make 
successful  head  against  the  furious  onslaughts  of  a  foe, 
elated  by  success,  and  dashing  forward  to  grasp  larger 
and  more  decisive  advantages. 

Resistance,  however,  to  the  rebel  advance,  was  prompt 
ly  made,  and  so  effectually,  that  a  check  for  a  time  at 
least,  was  put  upon  it.  General  Berry's  division,  held 

4 


5O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

in  reserve,  as  before  stated,  was  now  brought  into 
requisition,  and  bore  an  important  part  in  staying  the 
rushing  tide  that  threatened  to  sweep  away  everything 
before  it.  Doubleday,  says  of  this  division  :  "  they  were 
true  and  tried  men  and  went  forward  at  once  to  the  res 
cue.  Berry  was  directed  to  form  across  the  Plank 
Road,  drive  the  rebels  back  and  retake  the  lost 
entrenchments — an  order  easy  to  give  but  very  difficult 
to  execute.  The  most  he  could  do  under  the  circum 
stances,  was  to  form  his  line  in  the  valley  opposite 
Fairview,  and  hold  his  position  there,  the  enemy  already 
having  possession  of  the  higher  ground  beyond." 

This  force,  with  several  batteries  formed  across  the 
Plank  Road,  whose  fire  was  very  destructive,  largely 
contributed  to  arrest  the  farther  advance  of  the  enemy 

The  commander  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth, 
Colonel  C.  D.  Westbrook,  has  furnished  some  interest 
ing  memoranda  relating  to  the  situation  and  action  of 
his  regiment  and  of  the  troops  associated  with  it,  grow 
ing  out  of  Jackson's  attack  and  the  rout  of  the  Eleventh 
Corps.  What  effective  part  these  troops  took  in  arrest 
ing  the  furious  progress  of  Jackson's  forces,  will  appear 
from  the  following  statement  : 

"  Massed  in  close  column  by  division,  our  brigade  lay  under  arms 
until  about  5  p.  M.,  May  2,  when  we  were  sent  forward  on  double- 
quick  about  half  a  mile  on  the  Plank  Road.  Here  we  met  General 
Berry,  who  sent  two  or  three  regiments  ahead  to  the  left,  and  ordered 
the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment  into  the  thick  woods  on 
our  right.  On  the  officer  in  command  asking,  '  how  am  I  to  get 
there,'  in  view  of  a  ditch,  overflowed  swamp  and  densest  thicket  in 
front,  the  reply  was,  '  I  don't  know,  but  get  there  you  must  and  form 
line  to  the  front  to  stop  this  panic.'  The  officer  put  spurs  to  his 
horse,  cleared  the  ditch,  floundered  through  the  swamp  and  landed 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  5  j 

on  a  firm  piece  of  ground,  being  quickly  followed  by  the  regiment. 
Bayonets  were  fixed,  a  charge  made  to  the  front,  other  regiments 
coming  up  and  extending  the  movement  to  the  right.  The  sound  of 
confused  orders  reached  us  from  the  thickets  just  beyond,  indicating 
the  close  proximity  of  the  enemy,  when  the  regiment  was  stopped  till 
the  line,  reaching  about  half  a  mile  in  the  woods,  was  fully  formed. 
Quickly  came  the  rattle  of  musketry,  mingled  with  heavy  cannonading 
from  our  rear,  the  shells  flying  over  head,  lighting  up  the  thickening 
darkness  of  the  woods.  The  din  was  kept  up  till  near  midnight, 
while  hastily  constructed  barricades  of  brush  and  logs  were  thrown 
up  for  such  protection  as  they  might  afford. 

"The  First  and  Third   divisions    of    our  Corps,   had  been   sent 
away  early  in  the  afternoon  to  watch  certain  columns  of  the  enemy 
which  had  been  seen  marching  toward  the  southwest  in  the  direction 
of  Howard's  command.     These  divisions  had  attacked  the  rear  of 
the  marching  column,  and  had  captured  a  Georgia  regiment,  shortly 
after  which,  Jackson's  attack  fell  upon  Howard's  Corps.     After  this  cap 
ture,  the  two  divisions  marched  back  still  on  the  left   of  the  Plank 
Road,  reaching  a  position,  where,  with  our  division  on  the  right  of 
the  road  and  Howard's  in  front,  they  formed  together  three  sides  of 
a  triangle.     Jackson's  forces  having  swept  away  Howard's,  were  now 
the  side  of  the  triangle  in  front  of  us  on  the  right  of  the  Plank  Road. 
Being   mingled    together,    in   their   hot   pursuit   through   the   thick 
woods  and  darkness,  and  arrested  by  the  charge  of  our  troops,  they 
struggled  in    vain    to  reform    their    disordered    lines.     The   leading 
division  was  therefore  withdrawn  to  Dowdall's  Tavern,  to  reform,  and 
A.  P.  Hill's  division  sent  to  occupy  their  places  in  the  front.     While 
this  was  going  on,  Jackson,  with  a  few  of  his  aids,  went  forward  to 
reconnoitre,    with    a  view    to   continuing  his  aggresive   operations, 
charging  his  pickets  to  beware  of  firing  upon  him,  on  his  return.      He 
was  struck  down,  as  he  could  hardly  fail  to  be,  in  that  seething  fur 
nace  of  shot  and  shell,  lighting  up  the  darkness  on   every  side,  but 
whether  his  own  men,  or  the  enemy,  fired  the  fatal  shots,  is  not  cer 
tainly  known.      His  death  it  may  be,  saved  the  Union  army  from 
complete  overthrow.     It  is  certain,  that  had  he  lived  to  direct  the 
fiery  energies  of  his  troops,  it  would   have  resulted  in  much  greatei 
disaster  to  the  army  opposed  to  him.     As  it  was,  the  arrest  of  Jack 
son's  forces  by  Berry's  division,  with  the  co-operation  of  troops  and 
artillery,  brought  up  by  Pleasanton,  just  at  the  critical  juncture,  saved 


52  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

the  Fifth  Corps,  lying  in  their  front,  from  being  flanked,  and  with  it, 
probably,  the  routing  of  Hooker's  army  at  Chancellorsville.  On  the 
other  hand,  had  Reynolds'  and  Meade's  corps,  together  37,000  strong, 
both  of  whom  for  inexplicable  reasons  had  taken  no  part  in  the 
battle,  made  an  attack  on  the  flank  of  Jackson's  forces,  while  the 
fierce  struggle  about  Hazel  Grove  was  going  on,  as  their  command 
ers  wished,  but  were  not  allowed  to  do,  the  tables  would  have  been 
turned  and  Chancellorsville  would  have  been  won  to  the  Union  arms. 
But  it  is  useless  to  speculate  on  what  might  or  would  have  been 
under  other  conditions. 

"The  brunt  of  the  battle  had  fallen  on  the  Third  Corps.  Their 
loss  was  3,439  killed  and  wounded,  and  600  missing,  the  latter  loss 
consisting  mostly  of  men  burned  in  the  woods,  where  a  conflagration 
kindled  by  the  combat,  licked  up  the  wounded  and  the  dead.  " 

To  the  foregoing  account,  some  notes  from  Mr.  Lewis' 
diary,  are  subjoined,  relating  mainly  to  operations  on 
the  day  following  Jackson's  attack  : 

"There  was  heavy  firing  all  night  in  many  places  along  the  line, 
while  ever  and  anon,  the  Union  cheer  or  rebel  yell,  told  us  of  a  fierce 
charge.  Sunday,  May  3d,  at  about  6  A.  M.,  our  pickets  were  driven 
in,  and  the  enemy,  in  large  force,  fell  upon  us  with  terrible  fury. 
Soon  we  were  pouring  into  his  advancing  columns,  a  terrific  fire  of 
musketry,  with  which  was  mingled,  the  roar  of  forty  cannon,  while 
the  air  seemed  filled  with  minie-balls,  shot  and  shell.  The  enemy 
came  rushing  on  till  they  were  checked  within  twenty-five  feet  of  our 
breastworks.  We  held  our  position  two  hours,  until  our  lines  were 
broken  a  short  distance  to  the  left  of  our  regiment.  As  the  enemy 
came  up  on  our  flank,  company  by  company  fell  back  and  formed  a 
line  of  battle  a  short  distance  to  the  rear,  which  position  we  easily 
held.  The  officer  in  command  of  our  brigade — of  the  division  also, 
since  General  Berry's  death  and  the  wounding  of  General  Mott — 
General  Joseph  W.  Revere,  then  led  us  back  nearly  to  the  river  where 
we  remained  during  the  rest  of  ths  day." 

General  Doubleday,  in  his  history  of  the  battle, 
explains  the  position  and  service  of  Berry's  division 
here  referred  to,  as  follows  : 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y,  S.    VOLS.  5  3 

"The  last  line  of  our  works  was  finally  taken  by  the  enemy,  who, 
having  succeeded  in  driving  off  the  Third  Maryland,  of  the  Twelfth 
Corps,  on  Berry's  left,  entered  near  the  road  and  enfiladed  the  line 
to  the  right  and  left.  Sickles  sent  Ward's  brigade,  to  take  the  place 
of  the  Third  Maryland,  but  it  did  not  reach  the  position  assigned  it 
in  time,  the  enemy  being  already  in  possession.  In  attempting  to 
remedy  this  disorder,  Berry  was  killed,  and  his  successor,  General 
Mott,  was  wounded.  The  command  then  devolved  upon  General 
Revere,  who,  probably  considering  further  contest  hopeless,  led  his 
men  out  of  the  action  without  authority — an  offense  for  which  he 
was  subsequently  tried  and  dismissed  the  service."* 

The  fighting  from  the  early  morning  of  May  3d,  till 
the  Union  troops  were  forced  back  from  the  third  line, 
was  of  the  most  furious  character.  Our  lines,  under 
Hancock,  Sickles,  Slocum,  Couch  and  Humphreys,  were 
formed  in  front  and  around  the  Chancellorsville  House, 
with  nearly  the  whole  rebel  army,  under  A.  P.  Hill, 
McLaws,  Anderson  and  Stuart,  (in  place  of  "  Stonewall  " 
Jackson,  disabled  the  night  before,)  determined  at  all 
hazards,  to  break  through  and  overwhelm  their  tena 
cious  enemy.  Frequent  and  desperate  attacks  were 
made  upon  the  Union  positions,  which  were  defended 
with  equal  energy  and  resolution.  The  contest  about 
Hazel  Grove  and  Fairview,  was  hottest.  The  possession 
of  the  hill  at  the  former  point,  was  vital  to  the  success 
of  the  Confederates,  and  when  after  tremendous  efforts, 
they  gained  the  height  and  crowned  it  with  artillery, 
they  became  virtually  masters  of  the  situation.  Nothing 
was  left  for  the  Union  forces  to  do,  but  to  fall  back, 
step  by  step,  which  was  clone  in  perfect  order,  every 
foot  of  the  ground  being  contested  with  unabated  spirit 

*  The  sentence,  however,  being  subsequently  set  aside  through 
President  Lincoln's  interposition. 


54  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

and  constancy,  and  no  position  abandoned  till  it  became 
untenable.  Sickles'  Corps,  on  which  the  main  force  of 
the  attack  fell,  and  which  had  a  large  share  in  prevent 
ing  our  ranks  from  falling  into  confusion,  behaved 
throughout  with  conspicuous  coolness  and  gallantry. 
Birney's  and  Berry's  two  divisions  of  this  corps,  were 
posted  on  the  Plank  Road,  running  from  Chancellors- 
ville  through  the  centre  of  the  Union  line.  General 
Birney,  was  on  the  left  of  the  road,  and  Berry,  under 
whom  the  Excelsior  Brigade  fought,  occupied  the  right. 
They  were  both  exposed  to  the  full  sweep  of  the  enemy's 
onset,  and  held  fast  their  respective  positions  unflinch 
ingly,  to  the  last  moment  that  resistance  could  avail. 

General  Berry,  after  stemming  with  his  division  the 
night  before,  the  torrent  of  pursuing  enemies,  flushed 
with  success,  and  on  this  3d  of  May,  having  done  all 
that  a  brave  and  energetic  leader  could,  to  inspire  his 
troops  and  keep  their  ranks  unbroken,  yielded  up  his 
heroic  life,  a  victim  to  his  devotion.  No  braver  soldier 
in  the  Union  army,  laid  his  last  supreme  offering  this 
day  on  the  altar  of  his  country,  as  none  had  a  higher 
place  in  the  confidence  and  affections  of  his  comrades. 
His  death  was  a  sore  loss  to  his  command,  and  indeed, 
to  the  Union  army,  of  which  he  formed  one  of  the  props 
and  ornaments. 

A  kindred  tribute  is  due  to  General  A.  W.  Whipple, 
who  was  in  command  of  the  Third  division  of  Sickles' 
Corps.  This  division,  with  Birney's,  after  their  engage 
ment  with  Jackson's  rear  column,  as  before  noticed, 
had  returned  in  time  to  confront,  on  the  evening  of 
the  2d,  the  advance  of  Jackson's  troops,  who  were  near- 
ing  the  Chancellorsville  House.  These  divisions,  with 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  5  5 

artillery  under  Captain  J.  F.  Huntingdon,  hastily  placed 
in  position,  baffled  the  last  assault  of  the  enemy  that 
night.  General  Whipple's  services  on  May  3d,  his 
position  being  in  rear  of  Berry  and  near  Fairview,  were 
equally  efficient  in  the  fierce  contest  there  progressing, 
which  ended,  as  noticed,  in  the  falling  back  of  the 
division.  On  the  morning  of  May  4th,  while  attempt 
ing  to  silence  some  guns,  which  by  Anderson's  orders, 
had  opened  on  some  wagon  trains  of  the  Twelfth  Corps, 
he  was  picked  off  by  a  sharpshooter  and  killed,  adding 
thus  another  lustrous  name  to  the  long  list  of  devoted 
men,  who,  in  those  trying  days,  poured  out  their  life- 
blood  for  their  country.  The  death  of  two  division 
commanders,  of  the  same  corps,  on  the  same  field, 
though  on  two  successive  days,  is  an  event,  which  the 
history  of  the  four  years'  conflict  has  rarely  found  it 
necessary  to  record. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment,  was 
left  encamped,  on  the  evening  of  the  3d,  near  the 
Rappahannock,  the  severe  fighting  of  the  day  being 
ended.  The  conflict  was  not  renewed  on  the  following 
day,  nor  was  there  any  purpose  on  the  Union  side  to 
renew  it.  General  Hooker,  had  on  the  3d,  been  stunned 
and  rendered  unconscious  for  a  time,  by  a  shot  striking 
a  pillar  against  which  he  was  leaning,  of  the  Chancellors- 
ville  House,  and  the  effect  had  been  to  impair  the 
activity  and  strength  in  action  which  the  crisis  needed, 
and  to  incline  him  to  turn  his  thoughts  to  re-crossing 
the  river,  as  a  measure  of  prudence,  if  not  of  necessity. 
Accordingly,  a  council  of  war  was  called  on  the  evening 
of  the  4th,  at  which  the  situation  was  discussed,  a 
decision  being  arrived  at,  and  an  order  issued  to  recross. 


56  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y,  S.    VOLS. 

This  was  carried  into  effect,  and  within  a  brief  period, 
the  several  corps,  forming  the  bulk  of  the  army,  found 
themselves  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Rappahannock, 
whence  they  had  hopefully  issued  a  few  days  before,  and 
minus  the  victory  they  had  confidently  expected  to 
seize.  General  Sedgwick,  with  the  Sixth  Corps,  con 
taining  26,000  men,  had  barely  been  able  to  hold  his 
own  against  the  forces  confronting  him,  and  after  various 
successes  and  reverses,  whose  detail  is  not  a  necessary 
part  of  this  narrative,  found  it  expedient  also  to  retire 
across  the  river.  The  much  needed  help  promised  him 
from  Hooker's  wing  of  the  army,  had  not  been  sent,  and 
perhaps  could  not  be  sent,  because  not  able  to  be  spared 
from  a  body  struggling  for  its  own  life,  and  bent  on 
securing  a  safe  retreat.  When  this  last  had  been 
effected,  nothing  remained  for  the  gallant  Sixth  Corps, 
in  its  critical  position  in  front  of  Lee's  whole  army,  but 
to  do  as  the  other  wing  had  done  and  place  the  Rap 
pahannock  between  itself  and  its  vaunting  enemy.  And 
so  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  re-united  once  more 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  little  historic  river  which  divided 
it,  as  it  had  done  the  past  winter,  from  the  foe  it  had 
not  yet  been  able  to  overcome. 

The  losses  in  the  Chancellorsville  campaign,  were 
larger  than  those  at  Fredericksburgh,  heavy  as  the  latter 
were.  The  fearful  total  was  upwads  of  17,000  men,  of 
which  number,  12,000,  in  round  numbers,  formed  the 
aggregate  in  Billed  and  wounded.  The  Confederate 
loss,  as  reported,  was  some  2,000  less,  the  whole  number 
on  both  sides  being  22,000 — a  figure  about  equalling 
the  entire  present  population,  men,  women  and  children, 
of  the  city  of  Kingston.  The  comparison  will  help  to 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  5  J 

give  a  proper  conception  of  what  a  great  battle,  which 
mows  down  more  than  a  score  of  thousands  of  men, 
really  means.  War  is  a  costly  business  to  life  and  limb, 
besides  the  manifold  evils  of  other  kinds  which  mark  its 
desolating  footsteps.  Happy  day  for  the  world,  when 
the  prophetic  turning  of  the  sword  into  the  ploughshare, 
shall  find  its  fulfillment  among  the  nations,  in  the  cessa 
tion  of  all  wars,  and  the  establishment  of  universal  peace. 
The  number  of  casualties  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth,  according  to  the  Adjutant's  report,  showed 
nine  killed,  46  wounded,  including  one  commissioned 
officer,  Captain  Frank  W.  Reynolds,  and  18  missing, 
total  72.  A  more  severe  ordeal  was  awaiting  the  regi 
ment  in  the  coming  days.  The  discipline  and  trials  thus 
far,  were  simply  preparative.  The  men  were  not 
querulous  nor  disheartened  at  what  they  had  gone 
through,  nor  disposed  to  shrink  at  the  prospect  which 
opened  before  them.  But  true  to  the.  cause  they  had 
espoused,  and  to  their  own  convictions  that  complete 
triumph  must  come  in  the  end  to  the  right,  they  stood 
manfully  in  their  lot,  ready  to  do  and  suffer  all  that  duty 
to  their  country  demanded. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

LEE'S  INVASION  OF  THE  NORTH — WHY  UNDERTAKEN— ^CONDITION  OF  CON 
FEDERATE  ARMY — ADVANCES  THROUGH   SHENANDOAH   VALLEY CROSSES 

THE  POTOMAC OPERATIONS    IN    PENNSYLVANIA — HOOKER'S    MOVEMENTS 

AND     PLANS — RESIGNS     COMMAND     OF     UNION     ARMY GENERAL    MEADE 

APPOINTED  TO  THE  CHIEF  COMMAND — MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  ONE  HUNDRED 
AND  TWENTIETH,   AFTER   CHANCELLORSVILLE. 

The  outcome  of  Hooker's  repulse  at  Chancellorsville, 
following  after  an  interval  of  a  few  months  the  repulse 
of  Burnside  at  Fredericksburg,  was  the  invasion  of  the 
North  by  the  Confederate  army.  Such  an  invasion  had 
long  been  a  cherished  idea  on  the  part  of  the  secession 
leaders.  Their  two  successes  at  the  points  above  men 
tioned,  put  the  Confederates  in  high  spirits.  They  came 
to  regard  themselves  as  adequate  to  all  military  achieve 
ments  they  might  choose  to  undertake,  and  in  a  trial  at 
arms,  practically  invincible. 

The  crossing  of  the  Potomac  into  Maryland  after  the 
second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  was  in  accordance  with  their 
favorite  idea  of  invasion.  The  battle  of  Antietam, 
baffled,  for  a  time,  the  purpose  which  Lee  and  his  gov 
ernment  were  longing  to  execute,  viz.,  to  retaliate  upon 
the  North,  the  inflictions  of  the  war,  which  had  hith 
erto  mainly  fallen  upon  southern  soil.  It  would  be  a 
delightful  change,  to  have  Confederate  armies  encamped 
on  northern  fields  and  quartered  in  northern  cities,  with 
ample  supplies  exacted  from  both.  The  prospect  was  a 
captivating  one  and  grew  more  alluring  after  Chancel- 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  69 

lorsville.  The  time  seemed  now  to  have  come,  for  the 
Confederate  forces  to  pass  over  and  take  possession  of 
the  land.  They  felt  themselves  quite  strong  enough  to 
go  up  and  subdue  it,  as  they  were  eager  to  enjoy  the 
fruits  of  their  anticipated  conquest.  The  had  only  to 
put  away  doubt  and  misgiving  and  throw  their  energies 
into  the  inviting  enterprise,  and  the  result  aimed  at,  was, 
to  their  fancy,  surely  attained. 

As  a  reward  of  their  heroism,  zeal  and  constancy,  the 
Confederate  government,  they  believed,  would  be  firmly 
established.  It  would  be  recognized  as  a  government, 
by  foreign  nations,  and  this  they  had  labored  for  and 
were  specially  anxious  to  bring  about.  They  had  their 
agents  abroad  to  promote  this  object,  and  all  possible 
means  were  employed  to  accomplish  it,  though  their 
best  efforts  thus  far,  had  met  with  but  indifferent  success. 
They  regarded  England  and  France,  and  with  good 
reason,  as  secretly  favoring  the  South,  and  as  willing  to 
grant  such  recognition  the  moment  the  Confederate 
cause  had  attained  a  fitting  measure  of  success.  This 

o 

would  be,  it  was  believed,  when  the  southern  armies  had 
taken  possession  of  the  great  cities  and  strongholds  of 
the  North,  maintaining  their  hold  in  spite  of  all  opposi 
tion.  In  the  flush  of  their  recent  successes  on  the  Rap- 
pahannock,  they  laughed  at  all  obstacles  that  might  rise 
up  to  prevent  the  realizing  of  a  dream  so  enchanting. 
They  had  only  to  go  forward,  resolute  to  brave  all,  and 
overcome  all  that  opposed  them,  and  their  staunch, 
irresistible  army  would  settle  the  matter  exactly  in  the 
way  they  designed. 

This,  no  doubt,  was  the  strong  inducement  that  led 
General  Lee  to  recross  the  Potomac,  and  try  his  for- 


6O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

tunes  a  second  time  on  northern  territory.  There  were 
other  things  which  had  their  weight,  such  as  reports, 
constantly  forwarded  by  rebel  spies  and  sympathizers  in 
the  North,  to  the  effect  that  friends  of  the  southern 
cause  residing  there,  were  only  waiting  for  the  advance 
of  Lee's  armies  to  declare  themselves,  put  an  end  to  the 
hated  war  by  siding  with  the  invaders  and  thus  secure 
to  the  South  an  independent  government  thenceforth. 
But  the  copperhead  element,  with  the  bluster  and  assump 
tion  it  at  times  put  on,  was,  when  the  spirit  of  the  loyal 
masses  fairly  awoke,  but  as  the  chaff  which  the  wind 
driveth  away.  The  South  put  more  trust  in  it  than 
sensible  people  should,  and  had  really  no  reason  to 
wonder,  when  it  proved  a  broken  reed  for  those  who 
leaned  upon  it, 

General  Lee's  decision,  however  reached,  was  made 
at  last,  and  preparations  for  his  invasion  at  once  began. 
His  army,  during  May,  was  strengthened  by  two 
divisions  of  Longstreet,  and  a  large  number  of  new 
recruits,  the  whole  amounting  on  May  3ist,  to  88,000 
men  in  round  numbers,  of  whom  68,000  were  ready  for 
active  service.  The  recent  battles  had  not  diminished 
his  effective  force,  while  the  morale  of  his  troops  was 
higher  than  ever.  A  finer  army  in  numbers,  in  equip 
ment,  in  discipline,  in  spirit,  courage  and  confidence,  had 
at  no  time  taken  the  field  under  the  Confederate  flae. 

o 

The  army,  divided  into  three  corps,  commanded  respect 
ively  by  A.  P.  Hill,  Longstreet  and  Ewell,  was  ready  at 
the  opening  of  June,  to  begin  its  famous  invasion. 

Its  rendezvous  was  Culpeper,  for  which  place  two 
of  Longstreet's  divisions  set  out  on  the  3d  of  June, 
followed  on  the  4th,  by  Ewell's  corps.  A  reconnoisance 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  6  I 

by  Pleasanton,  in  command  of  the  Union  cavalry,  on 
the  7th,  toward  Culpeper,  resulted  in  a  sharp  engage 
ment  with  the  enemy's  cavalry,  under  Stuart,  near 
Brandy  Station,  without  effecting  much  for  either  side. 
To  get  rid  of  serious  obstructions  to  crossing  the 
Potomac,  Lee  found  it  important  to  free  the  Shenandoah 
valley  from  Union  troops,  a  considerable  body  of  whom, 
under  Milroy,  held  it,  and  with  no  intention  to  relinquish 
possession,  unless  forced  to  do  it.  This  forcing  process 
was  resorted  to  by  General  Ewell,  who,  on  the  i3th  of 
June,  marched  upon  Winchester,  where  Milroy  was  rest 
ing  in  fancied  security,  and  whence  he  was  driven  out 
by  overpowering  numbers  and  obliged  to  retreat  beyond 
the  Potomac.  His  losses  in  this  operation  were  heavy, 
but  the  Confederates  gained  their  end  in  clearing  the 
valley  of  all  Union  troops  and  thus  opening  an  unob 
structed  highway  through  the  valley  of  the  Shenandoah 
for  all  the  troops  desiring  to  take  that  route. 

Jenkins,  at  the  head  of  2,000  cavalry,  crossed  the 
river  at  Williamsport,  June  i5th,  reaching  Chambers- 
burg,  the  same  day.  He  exacted  contributions  of  horses, 
grain,  etc.,  from  the  farmers,  as  he  advanced,  striking 
terror  into  the  hearts  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  region, 
who,  looking  upon  his  force  as  simply  the  forerunner  of 
hosts  to  follow,  trembled  to  think  what  was  to  befall 
them  when  the  main  army  should  appear.  In  fact, 
Ewell's  Corps,  was  not  long  in  following  the  lead  of  its 
cavalry,  and  on  the  22d,  it  had  crossed  the  Potomac, 
the  divisions  of  Rodes  and  Johnson  reaching  Chambers- 
burg,  on  the  23d.  On  the  27th,  these  divisions  had  ad 
vanced  to  Carlisle,  while  Jenkins,  with  his  cavalry,  pushed 
forward  to  Kingston,  only  thirteen  miles  from  Har- 


6  2  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

risburg.  This  daring"  cavalry  leader,  approached  within 
four  miles  of  Harrisburg,  skirmishing  and  seeking  to 
find  out  the  most  favorable  points  for  attacking  the  city. 
With  Ewell's  infantry  to  back  him,  the  fate  of  the  Penn 
sylvania  capitol  seemed  to  be  trembling  in  the  balance. 

Numbers  of  the  citizens,  dreading  the  impending 
danger,  made  a  hasty  flight.  But  events  were  occurring 
elsewhere,  which  made  Ewell's  recall  necessary,  and 
relieved  Harrisburg  from  the  presence  of  a  threatening 
enemy  at  its  gates. 

The  corps  of  Longstreet  and  Hill,  had  crossed  the 
Potomac  on  the  24th,  and  united  the  next  day  at  Hagers- 
tovvn.  On  the  2/th,  they  were  at  Chambersburg,  Hill's 
Corps,  advancing  to  Fayettsville,  where  it  was  encamped, 
on  the  29th,  with  Heth's  division  thrown  forward  on 
that  clay  to  Cashtown,  distant  eight  miles  from  Gettys 
burg.  There  Hill's  Corps  was  within  striking  distance 
of  Gettysburg,  on  the  west,  Longstreet  being  close 
behind  him,  with  Ewell's  Corps  on  the  north  of  this 
town  and  but  a  few  miles  off,  all  indicating  that  Gettys 
burg  was  the  point  toward  which  the  rebel  forces  were 
converging,  and  where  it  was  determined  to  abide  the 
issue  of  a  pitched  battle.  This  outline  to  the  Confed 
erate  army's  movements  is  given  with  some  detail,  in 
order  that  the  operations  of  the  Union  forces,  before  the 
great  battle  of  Gettysburg,  so  momentous  in  its  results, 
may  be  more  clearly  seen  and  understood. 

For  some  weeks  after  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville, 
tire  Army  of  the  Potomac  lay  quietly  in  its  encampments 
near  the  Rappahannock.  General  Hooker  was  not  long 
in  learning  that  the  enemy  was  projecting  some  move 
ment,  though  what  its  character  or  direction  was,  he  had 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS.  6  * 

v7 

no  certain  knowledge.  A  change  in  the  encampment 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river  met  his  eye,  and  General 
Sedgwick  was  directed  to  send  troops  across  to  recon 
noitre  and  ascertain  whether  the  main  body  of  Lee's 
army  remained  there.  A  division  was  accordingly  sent 
over,  which  was  soon  confronted  by  Hill's  Corps,  which 
still  retained  its  position  near  Fredericksburg.  The 
division  sent  by  Sedgwick,  returned,  reporting  that  Lee's 
army  had  not  moved,  though,  in  fact,  Longstreet's  and 
Ewell's  corps,  were  then  some  distance  on  their  way  to 
Culpeper.  Hill,  with  his  corps,  followed  the  others  as 
soon  as  he  found  the  force  sent  by  Hooker  withdrawn 
from  the  Fredericksburg  side  of  the  river  and  Sedgwick 
gone  from  his  front,  and  then  the  whole  of  Lee's  army 
was  moving  forward  on  its  northern  expedition. 

General  Hooker  remained  opposite  Fredericksburg, 
till  the  1 3th  of  June,  when,  hearing  of  Ewell's  advance 
on  Winchester,  he  started  north  toward  Washington. 
On  the  1 5th,  three  'of  his  seven  corps  were  grouped 
around  Centreville,  one  was  at  Manasses,  the  others  at 
Fairfax  Court  House,  with  Pleasanton  and  his  cavalry 
force  at  Warrenton. 

The  Union  army  was  now  on  the  alert,  the  purpose  of 
the  enemy  being  ascertained,  and  proper  preparation 
was  made  to  repel  the  invasion  from  whatever  quarter 
it  might  come.  When  the  rebel  forces  were  capturing 
towns  in  Pennsylvania  and  threatening  Harrisburg  itself, 
urgent  appeals  were  forwarded  to  Hooker  to  hasten  to 
the  rescue.  But  his  plan  was,  while  he  kept  his  army 
interposed  between  Lee  and  Washington,  so  as  to  guard 
the  Capitol,  to  advance  on  a  line  parallel  with  Lee's 
army,  ready  to  strike  it  whenever  opportunity  presented. 


64  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

With  this  view,  his  army  advanced  cautiously,  step  by 
step,  in  the  direction  taken  by  the  enemy,  a  part  of  it 
crossing  the  Potomac  on  the  25th,  the  corps  of  Reynolds, 
Sickles  and  Howard,  being  that  night  at  Middletown 
and  extending  as  far  as  Boonsboro.  On  the  26th,  the 
Second,  Fifth  and  Sixth  corps,  were  advanced  to  Fred 
erick,  and  by  the  28th,  the  greater  part  of  the  army  was 
drawn  together  at  this  point  as  a  rendezvous. 

Another  change  in  Union  commanders  now  took 
place.  Certain  measures  which  Hooker  desired  to  effect 
for  the  advantage  of  the  army,  as  he  believed,  were  not 
approved  by  the  Washington  authorities,  and  feeling 
that  he  was  hampered,  if  not  thwarted,  by  this  failure  to 
comply  with  his  requests,  he  resigned  his  command. 
His  resignation  was  accepted  and  General  George  G. 
Meade,  was  at  once  appointed  to  fill  his  place.  A 
change  so  important,  on  the  verge  of  a  great  battle 
that  might  occur  at  any  moment,  might  seem  a  very 
dangerous  tiling  to  do  But  the  new  commander,  though 

O  «~>  '  O 

untried  in  a  position  so  high  and  responsible,  was  well 
known  as  a  soldier  of  experience  and  skill — a  brave, 
capable  and  efficient  officer,  who  would  be  sure  to  devote 
his  best  energies  to  carrying  out  successfully,  the  great 
work  that  had  devolved  upon  him. 

He  found  the  army  true,  loyal  and  prompt,  as  it  had 
always  been,  and  ready  for  whatever  service  its  com 
mander  might  direct.  Only  three  days  would  elapse 
before  its  spirit  and  endurance  would  be  tested  in  one 
of  the  greatest  battles  in  our  history.  It  was  a  brief 
time  for  a  commander  to  adjust  himself  to  his  position, 
and  for  the  troops  to  know  and  confide  in  their  leader. 
Yet  when  the  trying  time  came,  both  leader  and  soldiers 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  6  5 

showed  that  their  short  connections  with  each  other, 
had  wrought  no  harm  to  the  cause,  and  abated  nothing 
from  the  ardor,  energy  and  devotion  to  duty,  which 
made  their  struggle  victorious. 

From  Frederick,  where  the  army  was  on  the  28th  of 
June,  General  Meade  moved  nearer  the  Susquehanna, 
and  to  the  enemy  clustered  around  Gettysburg.  On 
the  3Oth,  the  left  of  his  army,  the  First  Corps,  was  at 
Marsh  Creek,  the  Eleventh  Corps,  at  Emmetsburg,  a 
few  miles  from  Gettysburg.  The  other  corps  were 
located  at  different  points  south  of  the  latter  town,  but 
near  enough  to  each  other  to  operate  promptly,  should 
battle  occur  at  or  near  Gettysburg.  Thus  situated,  with 
Gettysburg  as  a  central  point,  and  the  two  armies  the 
circle  around  it,  both  awaited,  on  the  3Oth  of  June,  such 
developements  as  another  day  might  bring  forth. 

Little  has  been  said  in  this  chapter  about  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment.  Its  movements  and 
history  during  the  two  months  after  Chancellorsville,  are 
embraced  in  those  of  the  whole  army  whose  preparations 
to  meet  the  invasion  of  Lee,  have  been  described.  Not 
much  of  special  interest  occurred  requiring  distinct 
notice.  Drilling  and  reviews,  marching  and  counter 
marching,  picket  duty  and  guarding  wagon  trains,  with 
routine  service  in  camp,  occupied  the  time,  till  the  sev 
eral  corps  began  to  move  toward  the  north.  On  the 
25th  of  June,  the  regiment  crossed  the  Potomac  at 
Edwards  Ferry,  marching  along  the  Chesapeake  and 
Ohio  canal,  to  Monocacy  aqueduct.  On  the  next  day, 
it  advanced  to  the  Point  of  Rocks,  and  on  the  27th,  went 
into  camp  thirteen  miles  beyond,  in  the  vicinity  of  Mid- 
dletown.  On  the  28th,  a  march  of  16  miles,  took  the 


66  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

regiment  through  Frederick  and  several  small  villages 
in  Maryland,  to  Walkersville,  and  on  the  29th,  it 
advanced  to  Taneytown,  where  part  of  the  Union  forces 
were  encamped,  awaiting  the  order  that  should  send 
them  forward  to  the  field  on  which  the  issues  of  the 
battle,  so  near  at  hand,  were  to  be  decided. 

As  an  evidence  of  the  Union  feeling  that  existed  in 
Maryland,  when  the  regiment  passed  through  it,  and 
how  the  hearts  of  the  people  warmed  to  the  old  flag- 
though  many  regarded  them  as  having  strong  southern 
sympathies — an  extract  from  the  memoranda  of  Mr. 
Lewis,  will  be  found  of  interest  : 

"Our  march  since  we  reached  Maryland,  has  been  through  a 
beautiful  section.  Evidences  of  thrift  were  on  every  hand.  It  was 
pleasant  to  look  upon  the  comfortable  homes,  the  fine  orchards 
loaded  with  fruit,  and  the  large  fields  of  waving  grain.  The  people 
with  whom  we  conversed,  were  outspoken  in  their  loyalty  to  the 
Union,  and  we  felt  that  we  were  among  our  friends.  The  ladies  in 
many  cities  and  villages  through  which  we  passed,  were  wild  with  joy 
at  the  sight  of  the  Union  army,  and  welcomed  us  with  patriotic 
songs  and  waving  flags.  Our  men  who  visited  houses  along  the  line 
of  march,  found  plenty  of  bread,  pies,  cakes,  biscuits,  milk,  fruit,  and 
vegatables,  which  were  given  to  them  or  purchased  at  very  low 
prices.  Some  of  these  loyal  people  did  not  keep  enough  for  them 
selves  to  eat.  In  some  of  the  towns  and  villages,  ladies,  with  their 
servants,  stood  in  front  of  their  houses  eagerly  passing  pure  cold 
water  to  our  thirsty  soldiers." 

We  have  seen  other  accounts  of  Maryland,  during 
the  war,  giving  a  far  less  favorable  view  of  the  people's 
loyalty  there,  especially  just  after  the  rebellion  broke 
out.  But,  in  this  third  year  of  the  conflict,  the  people 
had  found  time  for  reflection,  and  this,  it  is  pleasant  to 
believe,  had  led  those  who  had  wavered,  to  abhor  seces- 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  6j 

sion  and  disunion  and  cling  to  the  old  flag,  and  extend 
cordial  greetings  to  the  men  who  were  bearing  and 
defending  it.  The  invasion  of  Maryland  the  year  before 
and  the  battle  of  Antietam,  had  done  much  to  open  the 
eyes  of  wavering  Marylanders,  and  to  revive  love  for 
the  Union,  in  hearts,  where  it  had  begun  to  languish. 
The  lesson  then  learned,  was  soon  to  be  repeated  at 
Gettysburg,  and  with  more  emphasis,  and  wider  benefits 
to  the  Union  cause. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ON    THE    FIELD    OF   GETTYSBURG BATTLE    OF   THE    FIRST    DAY,     JULY     1ST 

—  UNION  FORCES  WITHDRAW  TO  CEMETERY    HILL SECOND  DAY  S  BATTLE 

ATTACK  ON  SICKLES'  CORPS THE  ONE  HUNDRED   AND    TWENTIETH    IN 

THE  HOTTEST  OF  THE  CONFLICT — ITS  GALLANT  DEFENSE  AND  RECORD- 
ITS  HEAVY  LOSSES  IN  KILLED  AND  WOUNDED — SAD  SCENES  ON  THE 
BATTLE-FIELD — PICKETT's  CHARGE  AND  REPULSE  ON  THE  THIRD  DAY — 
RETREAT  OF  LEE IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  UNION  VICTORY. 

The  opposing  armies  which  had  been  gathering  around 
Gettysburg,  were,  on  the  jOth  of  June,  near  to  each 
other  and  gradually  drawing  nearer,  so  that  a  speedy 
collision  could  not  long  be  avoided.  That  collision  took 
place  at  9  A.  M.,  of  July  ist.  Heth's  division  of  Hill's 
Corps,  advancing  from  the  west  on  the  Chambersburg 
road,  struck  the  cavalry  division  under  Buford,  which 
had  been  thrown  forward  and  was  holding  the  ridges  to 
the  west  of  Gettysburg.  Buford  was  determined  to  pre 
vent,  if  possible,  the  Confederates  from  entering  the 
town,  knowing  that  if  he  could  maintain  his  ground,  he 
would  soon  have  the  support  of  the  First  Corps,  then 
hastening  forward  to  join  him. 

In  spite  of  all  that  skill,  gallantry  and  the  most  stub 
born  resistance  could  do,  Buford  was  forced  back  slowly 
before  overwhelming  numbers,  till  at  length,  one  division 
of  the  First  Corps,  with  General  Reynolds  himself, 
appeared  upon  the  field  and  at  once  joined  in  the  struggle 
to  repel  the  advancing  host.  The  remainder  of  the 
First  Corps,  reached  the  field  about  1 1  A.  M.,  but  before 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  69 

it  arrived,  some  of  the  fiercest  fighting  of  this  opening 
day  had  taken  place.  The  most  of  the  fighting  during 
this  day,  was  on  the  ridges  on  each  side  of  Willoughby 
Run,  a  small  stream  a  few  rods  west  of  Seminary  Ridge, 
along  which  the  Confederate  line  of  battle  stretched  on 
the  second  and  third  days  of  July.  A  piece  of  woods 
between  Willoughby  Run  and  Seminary  Ridge, 
possessed  such  advantages,  that  both  sides  were  eager 
to  seize  and  hold  it,  and  the  fight  for  the  mastery  of  this 
coveted  shelter,  was  furious  and  prolonged.  It  was  at 
the  eastern  entrance  to  this  woods,  that  General  Rey 
nolds,  the  pride  of  the  army,  one  of  the  brightest  names 
on  the  roll  of  the  nation's  leaders  and  heroes,  fell  dead 
from  the  bullet  of  a  sharpshooter.  A  monument  now 
marks  the  spot  where  his  noble  life  ended. 

Energetic  and  stubborn,  as  the  resistance  was  to  the 
rebel  advance,  it  was  not  sufficient  to  prevent  the  num 
bers  that  came  pouring  on  from  the  west,  from  gaining 
ground.  The  Eleventh  Corps,  under  Howard,  came  up 
about  one  o'clock,  to  the  support  of  the  First,  and  formed 
line  along  Seminary  Ridge,  on  the  right  of  Doubleday, 
then  in  command  of  the  First  Corps.  But  now  Swell's 
troops  were  advancing  from  the  north,  and  Howard  was 
obliged  to  face  his  line  in  that  direction  to  meet  their 
attack,  and  was  unable  to  render  much  aid  to  the  First 
Corps,  in  their  desperate  struggle  against  Hill.  With 
out  describing  in  detail  the  movements  of  the  several 

o 

bodies  now  engaged,  it  must  suffice  to  say  that  the 
Eleventh  Corps,  was  no  more  able  to  hold  its  position 
against  the  mighty  odds  brought  against  it  than  the  First 
Corps  had  been.  Both  corps,  in  short,  were  gradually 
forced  back,  before  overpowering  numbers.  The  First 


/O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

Corps,  having  held  its  ground  much  longer  than  pru 
dence  dictated,  only  retreated,  when,  to  remain  longer, 
must  have  resulted  in  its  capture  or  utter  destruction. 
As  it  was,  the  losses  in  it  were  appalling.  "  Half  of  its 
numbers,"  as  its  heroic  commander,  Doubleday ,  reported, 
"  lay  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field,  and  hardly  a  field 
officer  had  escaped."  Among  the  regiments  sharing  this 
loss  and  which  for  hours  had,  in  the  front  line,  withstood 
these  furious  attacks  of  the  foe,  was  the  Twentieth  N. 
Y.  S.  M.,  a  monument  to  whose  dead  soldiers  stands  on 
the  spot,  consecrated  by  their  valor  and  sacrifices. 

The  falling  back  of  the  First  Corps,  which  had,  from 
morning  till  late  in  the  afternoon,  borne  the  main  brunt 
of  the  attack,  was  not  in  disorder,  much  less  in  panic. 
Broken  and  defeated,  it  was  not  dismayed,  and  slowly, 
firmly,  contesting  every  foot  of  the  ground  as  it  retired, 
its  wearied  ranks  reached  at  last,  Cemetery  Hill,  and 
were  freed  for  a  time,  from  further  pursuit.  This  hill, 
or  Ridge,  as  it  is  commonly  called,  since  famous,  had 
been  designated  before  the  battle,  by  General  Reynolds, 
as  a  suitable  position  upon  which  his  force  could  rally  if 
driven  back.  The  hill  was  not  only  well  adapted  for 
this  exigency,  but  for  the  line  of  battle  which  was 
stretched  along  its  top  during  the  memorable  days  of 
July  second  and  third.  One  division  of  the  Eleventh 
Corps,  under  Steinwehr,  had  occupied  it  as  a  reserve, 
while  the  other  two  divisions  had  gone  forward  to  engage 
in  the  battle  then  pending.  And  now  as  the  bloody  day 
was  closing,  the  soldiers  of  both  corps  were  collected  on 
these  formidable  heights,  Waclsworth's  division,  of  the 
First  Corps,  occupying  Culps  Hill.  The  men  rested  on 
their  arms  in  readiness  for  an  attack,  should  one  be 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  J  I 

made,  and  knowing-  well  that  the  battle,  suspended  for 
a  time,  would  certainly  be  renewed  on  the  following 
day. 

It  was  now  decided  by  General  Meade,  to  concen 
trate  his  army  on  Cemetery  Ridge,  and  to  await  battle 
on  this  strong  position.  The  several  corps  accordingly 
soon  began  to  arrive,  the  Third  and  the  Twelfth  the 
same  evening,  the  others  coming  up  the  next  day,  the 
Sixth,  under  Sedgwick,  after  a  march  of  thirty-four 
miles,  not  reaching  the  field  till  late  in  the  afternoon. 
From  Gulp's  Hill,  to  Little  Round  Top,  a  distance  of 
two  miles,  the  Union  lines  extended,  and  were  prepared, 
at  all  points,  to  meet  the  enemy's  advance.  In  this 
advantageous  position,  they  awaited  the  movements  of 
Lee's  army,  which,  stretched  along  Seminary  Ridge,  a 
mile  to  the  west,  might  at  any  moment,  receive  and  obey 
the  order  to  attack. 

The  attack  did  not  really  begin  till  about  half-past 
three  in  the  afternoon,  and  then  it  \vas  provoked  by 
Sickles'  Corps,  which  had  taken  an  advanced  position 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  beyond  the  main  Union  line  on 
Cemetery  Ridge.  This  corps,  indeed,  bore  the  brunt 
of  the  opening  attack  by  Longstreet's  troops,  who 
s\varmed  out  of  the  \voods  and  over  the  ridges  in  front 
of  the  corps,  and  rushed  into  the  conflict  with  the  utmost 
impetuosity.  Sickles'  Corps,  served  as  a  breakwater  to 
the  mighty  oncoming  flood  of  the  enemy,  and  but  for 
the  gallant  work  they  did  in  checking  the  assault  and 
weakening  its  force,  it  might  have  gone  hard,  Sickles 
claims,  and  others  agree,  with  the  Union  army  that  day. 
Be  this  as  it  may,  the  blow  fell  with  tremendous  force 
upon  Sickles'  soldiers,  who,  after  doing  all  that  men 


72  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

could  to  resist  it,  were  forced  in  the  end,  to  yield  ground 
which  was  no  longer  tenable.  The  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth  Regiment,  as  a  part  of  this  corps,  bore  its  full 
share  of  the  burden,  suffering  and  loss  which  rested 
upon  all,  and  its  sharp  experience  in  this  fierce  and  san 
guinary  conflict,  now  demands  particular  notice. 

The  regiment  left  Taneytown,  on  the  3Oth  of  June, 
and  on  July  ist,  reached  Emmettsburg,  from  which  it 
advanced  10  miles  to  Gettysburg,  arriving  on  the  battle 
field  at  2  A.  M.  of  July  2d.  It  came  upon  the  field 
between  the  Union  and  rebel  lines,  and  for  a  longdis 
tance  through  the  valley  and  upon  the  hills,  could  trace 
the  two  lines  by  the  light  of  their  fires.  The  battle  of 
the  day  before  had  been  fought,  and  the  marshaling  of 
the  Union  lines  during  the  night  and  on  the  morning  of 
this  day,  indicated  that  a  deadly  grapple  of  the  giants  was 
near  at  hand.  The  regiment  moved  with  its  corps  to  the 
place  assigned  to  it  in  the  line  on  the  Ridcre.  The 

1  O  O 

position  of  the  corps,  was  on  the  left  of  the  Union  line, 
next  to  Hancock's  Second  Corps,  and  with  Little  Round 
Top  in  its  rear,  to  the  left.  Sickles  left  this  position  not 
regarding  it  as  suitable,  and  with  the  tacit  assent  of 
General  Meade,  advanced,  as  has  been  noticed,  to  one 
he  judged  more  favorable.  In  the  new  position  chosen, 
the  centre  of  his  corps  was  at  the  famous  Peach  Orchard, 
distant,  about  a  mile  from  Little  Round  Top  ;  his  right 
wing,  under  Humphrey,  extended  along  the  Emmets- 
burg  road,  and  his  left,  under  Birney,  making  a  right 
angle  at  the  Peach  Orchard,  with  the  other  part  of  the 
line.  This  left  the  two  sides  of  the  angle  exposed  to  an 
enfilading  fire  from  batteries  stationed  in  front  of  the 
apex  of  the  angle,  and  when  so  situated,  a  sufficient 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  J  3 

force  assails  both  sides  of  the  angle  at  once,  as  the  troops 
of  Barksdale  and  Kershaw  did  in  this  case,  it  is  hardly 
possible  for  the  defenders  to  maintain  their  ground  suc 
cessfully.* 

The  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  was  in  Birney's 
division  on  the  left,  and  on  the  heads  of  his  stanch 
battalions,  the  storm  of  the  opening  battle  burst  in  all 
its  fury.  I  am  not  describing  the  battle  in  detail, f  but 
simply  giving  an  outline,  so  that  the  general  features  of 
it  may  be  made  apparent,  with  the  view  of  having  the 
service  and  record  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth 
better  understood.  And  as  the  sharp  experience  of 
that  regiment  is  given,  in  the  diary  hitherto  quoted 
from,  by  one  who  passed  through  the  raging  fires  of  the 
conflict,  we  will  listen  to  the  story,  as  he  tells  it,  in  a 
terse  and  straightforward  way  : 

"Almost  from  the  first  of  our  advance,  we  had  been  under  fire 
from  the  enemy's  batteries,  stationed  just  in  the  rear  of  their  front 
line  of  battle.  Some  of  our  artillery  was  stationed  on  the  brow  of 
the  hill,  just  in  front  of  us,  and  sent  an  occasional  reply  to  the  fire 
from  the  enemy's  guns. 

"At  about  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  enemy's  batteries,  on 
Seminary  Ridge,  opened  on  us  a  terrific  fire,  and  our  artillery,  after 
passing  to  our  front,  replied.  Soon  their  long  line  of  infantry  were 
seen  advancing  toward  us  under  a  rapid  fire  from  our  batteries. 
When  the  advance  had  got  within  rifle  range  of  the  artillery  on  the 
brow  of  the  slope  in  front  of  us,  so  many  of  the  gunners  were  killed 
or  wounded,  and  so  many  of  the  horses  had  been  shot,  it  was  with 
the  greatest  difficulty  that  all  of  the  pieces  were  drawn  to  the  rear.  J 

*  General  Doubleday's  History  of  Gettysburg  Battle. 

t  See  General  Sharpe's  minute  account  of  the  second  day's  battle  in  the  twentieth 
chapter  of  this  volume. 

I  While  the  Union  batteries  were  falling  back,  Bigelow's  battery  was  directed  to 
hold  its  position  at  all  hazards,  till  another  line  of  artillery  could  be  formed  beyond 
Plum  Run.  The  order  was  obeyed,  the  end  was  accomplished,  but  the  battery 


74  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

By  the  time  they  were  safely  behind  us,  the  enemy  were  within  range 
of  our  fire.  The  regiment  being  now  alone  in  the  reserve,  the  men 
were  lying  down  with  orders  not  to  rise  till  they  received  the  word  of 
command.  The  enemy's  advance  line  having  reached  the  base  of  the 
slope  behind  which  we  were  lying,  and  moving  forward  rapidly,  the 
order  came  and  the  whole  line  rose  as  a  man  and  poured  into  their 
ranks  such  a  terrible  fire  of  musketry,  as  to  bring  them  to  a  standstill 
when  within  a  few  rods  of  us.  Then  for  an  hour  or  more,  the  dread 
ful  crash  of  battle  resounded  ;  the  rattle  of  musketry,  the  bursting  of 
shells,  the  roar  of  cannons,  mingled  with  the  cries  of  the  wounded, 
and  with  the  cheers  and  yells  of  the  determined  foemen.  All  at  once, 
our  line  was  swept  by  an  enfilading  fire,  under  which  no  troops 
could  remain  and  live,  and  it  became  necessary  to  fall  back  without 
the  range  of  the  deadly  hail.  We  were  losing  very  heavily  in  our 
regiment,  but  fell  back  in  good  order,  contesting  stubbornly  every 
inch  of  the  ground.  Soon  other  troops — from  the  Second  and  Fifth 
corps — came  forward  protecting  our  flanks,  and  enabling  our  whole 
line  to  advance.  The  enemy  were  driven  back  before  us,  until  we 
had  retaken  nearly  all  the  ground  we  had  just  lost. 

'•  Nearly  all  the  men  lost  by  our  regiment  during  the  battle  of  three 
days,  were  lost  on  this  day.  Out  of  440  present  for  duty  when  the 
battle  commenced,  203  were  numbered  among  the  killed  and  wounded, 
at  its  close.  General  Sickles,  our  corps  commander,  was  wounded 
by  a  minie-ball  and  carried  from  the  field,  David  W.  Hommel,  a 
member  of  our  regiment,  with  others,  assisting  in  this  service.* 
Lieutenant-Colonel  C.  D.  Westbrook,  in  command  of  the  regiment, 
fell,  severely  wounded,  and  was  carried  to  the  rear  by  Alonzo  Lewis 
and  John  Myers,  of  company  I,  and  Charles  Yates,  of  company  H, 
just  in  time  to  save  him  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
Yates,  while  aiding  in  lifting  the  Colonel  from  the  ground,  was 


was  well-nigh  annihilated.  Of  the  four  battery  officers,  one  was  killed,  another 
mortally  wounded,  and  Captain  Bigelow  himself  wounded  severely.  Two  sergeants 
were  killed,  and  four  wounded  out  of  seven,  the  killed  and  wounded  privates  being 
in  like  proportion,  while  of  the  horses,  eighty  out  of  eighty-eight  were  killed  or 
disabled.  The  battery  sacrificed  itself  to  the  safety  of  the  line,  making  an  immortal 
record,  a  monument  in  honor  of  which  appears  at  Gettysburg,  on  the  spot  where 
the  battery  was  posted. 

*  General    Sickles   was  wounded,   near  the  Trostle  House,  about  six  o'clock, 
losing  a  leg  as  the  effect  of  his  wound. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  /  5 

severely  wounded  in  three  places,  requiring  himself,  the  help  he  was 
offering  to  his  commander.  While  we  were  lying  down,  before  the 
infantry  engagement,  Captain  Lockwood,  of  company  A  had  just 
warned  Lieutenant  Ketcham,  not  to  expose  himself  more  than  was 
necessary,  the  latter  replying,  "a  dead  man  is  better  than  a  living 
coward,"  when,  just  as  the  words  passed  his  lips,  he  was  instantly 
killed.  Captain  L.  Hollister,  of  company  D,  had  his  haversack 
taken  from  his  side  by  a  solid  shot.  A  second  shot  came  along  and 
killed  him  while  he  was  talking  to  some  friends  about  the  first. 
Captain  Barker,  of  company  K,  Lieutenant  Burhans,  of  company  I, 
Lieutenant  Freileweh,  of  company  E,  Lieutenant  Carle,  of  company 
G,  and  Lieutenant  Creighton,  of  company  H,  were  also  among  the 
killed.  Captain  Overbagh,  Adjutant  E.  M.  C.  Russell,  Lieutenants 
E.  S.  Turner,  Gray,  Wilkinson,  Pettit,  Cockburn,  Austin  and  Everett, 
were  wounded.  Of  these,  Lieutenants  Gray  and  Turner,  each  lost  an 
arm,  while  Lieutenant  Cockburn,  a  young  man  of  noble  qualities  and 
excellent  promise,  soon  after  died  of  his  wounds. 

''  After  the  fighting  had  ceased  for  the  day,  some  of  the  men  visi 
ted  the  corps  hospital,  which  had  been  established  about  half  a  mile 
to  the  rear,  in  search  of  wounded  comrades.  They  found  a  house 
and  yard  filled  with  wounded,  and  in  a  grove  near  by,  the  ground 
was  literally  covered  with  them,  while  stretcher-bearers  were  con 
tinually  arriving  with  their  loads.  Surgeons  were  passing  to  and  fro 
among  them,  or  standing  about  the  amputating  tables.  Some  were 
appealing  for  help  and  many  were  calling  for  water,  and  others  lay 
suffering  and  dying  without  uttering  a  groan  or  word  of  complaint. 

"  The  night  was  calm  and  beautiful.  The  full  moon  rose  early 
in  the  evening.  Several  of  the  regiment  visited  that  part  of  the  field 
over  which  we  had  fought  twice  during  the  day,  to  search  among 
the  dead  and  wounded  for  missing  comrades.  They  went  from  one 
to  the  other,  turning  their  faces  up  to  the  light  of  the  moon,  to  see  if 
they  could  recognize  them.  Strewn  all  over  the  field,  and  lying  side 
by  side,  were  the  blue  and  gray.  The  wounded  were  calling  for 
water,  or  pleading  to  be  helped  from  the  field.  The  doctors  were 
passing  from  one  to  another,  giving  temporary  relief,  while  stretcher- 
bearers  and  ambulances,  were  bearing  them  to  the  hospitals  as  fast  as 
possible.  Our  position  was  on  the  left  of  our  line  of  battle,  and  sleep 
during  the  night,  could  not  be  obtained,  on  account  of  the  artillery 
firing  and  volleys  of  musketry  in  different  places  along  the  lines." 


7  6  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

This  account  will  give  the  reader  who  knows  nothing 
of  a  battle-field,  except  from  report,  a  distinct  idea  of  the 
perils,  sufferings  and  horrors  which  are  inseperable  from 
a  sanguinary  conflict  like  the  one  described.  Only  a 
small  part  of  the  picture  is  here  disclosed  to  view,  but 
the  whole  canvass  was  filled  with  scenes,  equally  sombre 
and  harrowing,  as  the  night  ended  the  struggle  on  that 
hard- fought  field.  The  soldiers  of  the  Third  Corps,  had 
done  their  duty  manfully,  holding  their  ground  against 
superior  numbers,  to  the  last  extremity,  and  falling  back 
to  Cemetery  Hill,  only  when  successful  resistance  to  the 
outflanking  hosts  of  the  enemy,  was  no  longer  possible. 
As  it  was,  the  desperate  struggle  at  this  point  in  the  long 
line,  was  for  a  time  ended,  and  the  battle  remained  still 
undecided.  Another  day  of  conflict  remained,  and  on 
the  issue  of  that  coming  day,  the  fate  of  the  struggling 
antagonists  depended. 

The  battle  of  July  3d,  was,  as  everybody  knows,  "  short, 
sharp,  and  decisive."  It  consisted  mainly  in  Pickett's 
celebrated  charge  against  the  Union  centre,  where  the 
Second  Corps,  under  Hancock,  was  posted,  and  its 
overwhelming  repulse  by  the  Union  forces.  The  charge 
was  preceded  by  the  tremendous  roar  of  a  hundred 
cannons  from  Seminary  Ridge,  and  the  thundering  reply 
from  nearly  an  equal  number  on  the  Union  side.  When 
these  mighty  earth-shaking  voices  had  subsided,  after 
an  hour  or  two,  the  infantry,  under  Pickett,  moved  for 
ward  to  their  deadly  and  desperate  work.  It  was  a  work 
hardly  more  hopeful  of  successful  result  than  Burnside's 
assault  against  the  rocky  defences  of  Marye's  Heights. 
One  wonders  how  so  astute  a  leader  as  Lee  could  commit 
what  every  one  sees  to  have  been  a  blunder,  and  which, 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS.  J  J 

had  he  heeded  Longstreet's  advice,  to  move  around  the 
Union  left,  and  assail  it  in  flank  and  rear,  would  never 
have  occurred.  Pickett's  devoted  division,  with  gallantry 
worthy  of  a  better  cause,  could  only  dash  itself  to  pieces 
against  the  rocks  of  the  Union  battalions,  which  stood 
in  grim  array  before  it,  and  in  a  short  time  nothing 
remained  of  it  but  shattered  fragments,  which  the  refluent 
tide  bore  back  to  the  point  whence  the  body  had  set 
forth  a  little  while  before,  unbroken  and  buoyant.  This 
dreadful  repulse  ended  the  battle,  and  with  it  ended  all 
northern  invasions,  and  indeed,  all  hopes,  in  reasonable 
minds,  of  success  to  the  rebel  cause.  At  Gettysburg,  a 
death  blow  was  dealt  to  the  rebellion,  and  none  knew 
this  better  than  the  Confederate  leaders.1"  The  struggle 
might  go  on  for  some  time  to  come,  with  an  army  not 
destroyed  arid  able  to  effect  its  retreat  into  Virginia. 
But  the  struggle  was  henceforth  to  be  for  preservation 
alone,  with  no  resources  in  prospect  to  make  good 
present  losses  or  ward  off  the  collapse  that  was  drawing 
slowly,  but  inevitably  nearer.  Thus  the  Gettysburg 
battle  was  the  turning  point  in  the  mighty  conflict,  and 
the  victors  on  that  immortal  field  might  cheer  themselves 
with  the  assurance  that  the  triumph  now  won  was  the 
pledge  of  the  total  triumph  at  no  distant  day,  of  the 
cause  for  which  so  many  lives  had  been  sacrificed,  and 
such  unimaginable  suffering  inflicted  upon  the  households 
of  the  land. 

*  Longstreet,  in  his  account  of  the  battle,  in  the  CENTURY  of  Febru 
ary,  1887,  says  :  "  For  myself,  I  felt  that  our  last  hope  was  gone, 
and  that  it  was  now  only  a  question  of  time  with  us." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

BETWEEN  GETTYSBURG  AND  THE  RAPIDAN — GENERAL  GRANT  IN  COMMAND 
OF  THE  UNION  ARMIES — PREPARING  FOR  A  SOUTHERN  CAMPAIGN — 
MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  AFTER  GETTYS 
BURG — LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  TAPPEN  IN  COMMAND  OF  THE  REGIMENT 
INCIDENTS  IN  CAMP A  MILITARY  EXECUTION SODIERS'  RECREA 
TIONS — AFFAIRS  AT  JAMES  CITY — MEMBERS  OF  THE  REGIMENT  CAP 
TURED. 

The  victory  at  Gettysburg,  with  the  utter  failure  of 
Lee's  designs  upon  the  North,  did  not  result  in  the  dis 
persion,  capture  and  ruin  of  the  rebel  army.  Such 
decisive  overthrow,  many  have  insisted,  ought  to  have 
been  effected,  and  would  have  been,  with  the  proper 
promptness  and  energy  in  following  up  at  once  the 
grand  triumph  which  the  Union  army  had  achieved. 
Some  of  the  principal  commanders  in  the  beaten  army, 
notably  General  Longstreet,  expected  an  instant  and 
unrelaxing  pursuit,  and  have  expressed,  since  the  war, 
their  surprise  than  an  immediate  advance  against  their 
demoralized  ranks  was  not  ordered.  The  prudent  Union 
commander,  however,  was  unwilling  to  take  any  risks, 
and  preferred,  as  the  part  of  discretion,  to  cling  to  his 
commanding  Ridge,  without  molesting  the  enemy  in  his 
preparations  for  retreat.  He  regarded  the  army  opposed 
to  him,  as  too  formidable  still  to  be  assailed  with  success, 
and  that  his  own  army,  depleted  by  the  heavy  losses  of 
the  three  days'  battle,  might,  if  attacking,  be  repulsed  in 
turn,  which  would  counteract  the  solid  advantages  now 
obtained. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  JQ 

Perhaps  his  course  was  a  wise  one,  though  there  are 
commanders  that  could  be  named,  who,  if  in  the  same 
position,  would  have  pursued  a  more  energetic  course. 
As  it  was,  Lee,  with  his  army,  was  suffered  to  win  his 
way  back  toward  the  Potomac  without  serious  interrup 
tion  from  his  adversary,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  i5th, 
twelve  days  after  the  great  battle,  his  army  stood  once 
more  on  Virginia  soil,  where,  with  such  recruited  num 
bers  and  strength  as  it  might  gain,  it  was  enabled  to 
prolong  the  struggle  for  nearly  two  years. 

The  whole  interval  between  the  Gettysburg  battle 
and  the  spring  of  1864,  when  the  army,  under  General 
Grant,  began  its  march  southward,  was  given  to  prepa 
ration  for  the  great  work  that  lay  before  it.  On  the  Qth 
of  March,  1864,  Grant  received  his  commission  as  Lieu 
tenant- General — a  grade  which  Congress  had  a  short 
time  before  revived — and  the  command  of  all  the  Union 
armies  passed  under  his  control.  He  was  selected  as 
the  man  pre-eminently  fitted  for  the  position,  his  con 
nection  with  the  capture  of  Fort  Donelson,  Nashville, 
Vicksburg,  and  with  other  brilliant  successes,  led  the 
government  and  people  to  believe,  that  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  had  found  at  last,  the  man  who  should 
lead  it  to  victory. 

That  gallant  army,  so  often  unfortunate  in  its  com 
manders,  longed  for,  and  richly  deserved,  to  have  the 
leader  capable  of  directing  its  fiery  energies  aright,  and 
making  the  blows  they  were  ever  ready  to  strike,  tell 
with  decisive  effect  upon  the  enemy.  Such  a  leader,  it 
was  believed,  had  now  been  given  to  them,  and  the  spirit 
and  enthusiasm  of  the  troops  rose  in  proportion.  They 
knew  what  a  bitter  contest  was  opening  before  them, 


8O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

and  what  the  expectations  of  the  country  were,  and  they 
stood  ready  for  the  toil  and  sacrifice  demanded  by  the 
one,  in  order  to  fulfill  the  other,  in  the  utter  overthrow 
and  stamping  out  of  the  rebellion, 

General  Grant  visited  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  on 
March  loth,  the  day  after  his  appointment  to  command. 
He  made  his  headquarters  with  Meade  at  Brandy  Sta 
tion,  some  70  miles  from  Washington.  A  re-organiza 
tion  of  the  army,  recommended  by  General  Meade — 
who  retained  his  command  under  Grant — was  effected, 
by  means  of  which,  three  army  corps  were  formed  in 
place  of  the  six  corps  which  had  operated  at  Gettysburg. 
These  consolidated  corps,  were  the  Second,  Fifth  and 
Sixth.  The  Second  Corps  was  composed  of  two  divis 
ions  of  the  old  Second  Corps  and  two  divisions  of  the  old 
Third  Corps — the  command  being  assigned  to  Gen 
eral  Hancock.  The  Fifth  Corps,  was  commanded 
by  General  Warren  ;  the  Sixth  by  General  Sedgwick. 
By  this  arrangement,  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth 
Regiment,  became  connected  with  the  Second  Corps, 
under  Hancock.  The  division  it  belonged  to,  was  the 
Fourth,  commanded  by  Brigadier  General  Mott,  its 
brigade  being  the  Second,  whose  commanding  officer 
was  Colonel  W.  R.  Brewster.  The  number  of  regi 
ments  to  a  brigade,  was  increaed  by  the  new  organiza 
tion,  there  being  nine  in  the  First  brigade  and  eight  in 
the  Second.  The  re-organization  being  completed,  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  was  ready  to  enter  on  the  open 
ing  campaign. 

It  was  a  grand  and  powerful  army,  its  total  number  of 
officers  and  enlisted  men,  of  all  arms  and  branches  of 
the  service,  present  and  equipped  for  duty,  on  the  3Oth 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  8  I 

of  April,  1864,  being  99,438,*  or,  in  round  numbers, 
100,000  men.  The  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  which 
they  were  going  forth  to  oppose  and  vanquish,  if  it 
might  be,  had  hardly  two-thirds  of  this  number,  as  its 
aggregate  of  officers  and  enlisted  men.  But  the  Con 
federate  troops  were  on  their  own  soil  and  familiar  with 
the  country  through  whose  fields  and  forests  the  course 
of  the  coming  conflicts  lay — and  these  were  advantages 
that  fully  compensated  for  any  shortcoming  in  the  mat 
ter  of  numbers.  The  Union  army  was  sure  at  least,  to 
encounter  "  foemen  worthy  of  their  steel."  And  when 
the  Rapidan  should  be  crossed  and  "the  wilderness" 
fairly  entered  on,  our  soldiers  knew  perfectly  that  the 
utmost  energies  of  an  enemy,  whose  prowess  had  often 
been  tried,  would  be  put  forth  to  withstand  their  advance, 
and  if  possible,  drive  them  back,  baffled  at  all  points. 

Leaving  the  army  for  a  time  encamped  along  the 
banks  of  the  Rapidan,  we  turn  back  to  trace  the  history 
of  the  regiment  with  whose  fortunes  this  narrative  is 
principally  concerned.  It  has  been  seen  with  what  self- 
sacrificing  bravery  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth 
performed  its  part  in  the  Gettysburg  battle,  and  at  what 
great  personal  cost,  it  attested  its  fidelity  and  devotion 
to  duty.  Colonel  VVestbrook,  having  been  disabled  by 
his  wound,  the  command  of  the  regiment  devolved  on 
Major  J.  Rudolph  Tappen,  Captain  A.  L.  Lockwood, 
becoming  Lieutenant-Colonel.  During  the  remainder 
of  the  summer,  after  the  opening  days  of  July,  nothing  of 
sufficient  moment  occurred  in  the  experience  of  the  regi 
ment  to  require  special  comment.  Though  relieved 

*  Humphrey's  "  Virginia  Campaign,  of '64  and  '65." 

6 


82  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

from  the  urgencies  of  the  battle-field,  the  season  of 
respite  was  not  marked  by  inaction,  for  a  great  amount 
of  marching,  from  point  to  point,  was  done  during  July 
and  August,  while  drills  and  reviews,  guard  and  picket 
duty,  made  the  days,  as  they  went  by,  anything  but  idle 
or  leisure  days.  The  face  of  the  army  was  turned 
toward  the  south  once  more,  where  the  field  of  its  future 
operations  lay,  and  was  moving  slowly  to  the  line  it  pro 
posed  to  take  up,  between  the  Rappahannock  and  Rapi- 
dan  rivers,  till  ready  for  a  general  advance.  The 
regiment  in  its  journeyings,  visited  localities  and  battle 
fields  which  the  rebellion  has  made  historic — Manassas 
Junction,  Bristoe  Station,  Harper's  Ferry,  Bull  Run, 
Sharpsburg  and  Antietam,  being  of  the  number.  The 
ranks  of  the  regiment  had  grown  greatly  depleted 
through  the  losses  of  the  Gettysburg  campaign,  and  its 
one  crying  need  now,  was  a  fresh  supply  of  men.  This 
need,  indeed,  it  shared  with  nearly  all  the  army. 
Accordingly,  efforts  were  at  once  put  forth  to  supply 
this  demand.  A  detail  of  officers  and  men  was  sent 
North  to  obtain  what  was  so  urgently  required.  The 
several  rendezvous  of  drafted  men  were  resorted  to,  to 
secure  the  necessary  supply,  it  being  found  that  volun 
tary  enlistments  were  insufficient,  and  then  the  process 
of  filling  up  the  regiments  went  on  with  more  or  less 
rapidity.  To  what  extent  the  thinning  out  in  the  regi 
ment  had  gone  and  its  consequent  need  to  be  recruited, 
will  appear  from  this  statement  in  the  diary  before 
referred  to  : 

"Our  ranks  had  already  been  thinned  by  battle  and  sickness. 
Several  companies  that  left  Kingston  with  nearly  one  hundred  men, 
now  had  less  than  twenty ;  and  it  was  noticed,  that  at  one  of  our 
brigade  drills,  the  regiment  numbered  only  eighty-three  men." 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS  8  \ 

o 

This  was  about  three  months  after  Gettysburg.  And 
though  this  was  far  from  being  the  whole  number  then 
composing  the  regiment,  many  being  absent  from  parade 
on  detached  duty  or  in  hospital  or  for  other  sufficient 
cause,  it  yet  shows  how  reduced  the  numbers  actually  were, 
and  what  absolute  necessity  there  was  for  bringing  in 
men  to  fill  the  gaps.  Fortunately,  we  had  the  state  of 
New  York,  and  in  fact,  the  North  itself,  to  draw  upon, 
and  its  resources  were  still  large  and  not  likely  soon  to 
be  exhausted. 

Army  discipline  must  be  maintained,  as  without  it,  no 
body  of  troops  in  the  field  can  be  held  together  or  made 
to  render  efficient  service.  To  secure  this,  punishment 
for  the  violation  of  military  rules  must  sometimes  be 
severe,  and  to  appearance,  even  harsh  and  cruel.  The 
punishment  of  death,  for  desertion,  may  seem  dispropor- 
tioned  to  the  offence,  but  there  are  circumstances  under 
which  such  punishment  may  be  warranted  and  even 
demanded.  The  court-martial  that  tries  the  culprits,  is 
the  judge  of  these,  and  from  its  decision,  at  times,  no 
appeal  avails.  A  decision  of  this  kind,  had  adjudged 
five  deserters  from  the  Fifth  Corps,  to  be  shot  on  the 
3<Dth  of  August,  about  half  a  mile  from  Beverly  Ford, 
where  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  was  then 
encamped.  The  diary  from  which  we  take  the  incident 
gives  the  following  animated  account : 

"About  10,000  men  witnessed  the  solemn  scene.  Five  graves 
were  dug  in  line  and  five  coffins  were  placed  beside  them.  The 
whole  corps  was  drawn  up  in  solid  column,  on  a  rise  of  ground, 
enabling  all  to  have  a  good  view.  The  five  men  were  neatly  dressed 
in  white  shirts  and  blue  pants.  The  band  played  solemn  music  for 
about  an  hour,  while  the  assembled  crowd  appeared  deeply  impressed 


84  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

with  the  sadness  of  the  occasion.  The  men,  who  were  fine  looking, 
were  led  to  their  graves  where  each  was  seated  on  the  end  of  his 
coffin  with  hands  fastened  behind  his  back.  Sixty  soldiers,  with 
loaded  muskets,  were  drawn  up  in  line  in  front  of  them.  One  of  the 
unfortunate  men  was  so  overcome  that  he  had  to  be  assisted  to  his 
place.  The  right  and  left  men  met  and  kissed  each  other  and  were 
again  placed  upon  their  coffins.  After  the  chaplain  had  spoken  a 
few  words,  the  order  came  to  fire,  when  sixty  muskets  flashed,  and 
the  men  lay  dead  upon  their  coffins." 

A  story  of  this  kind  moves  our  sympathies  deeply, 
and  we  think  of  the  stricken  hearts  of  the  kindred  of 
these  unfortunate  men  who  sent  them  forth  with  their 
benedictions  and  prayers  to  battle  in  their  country's 
defense,  little  anticipating  such  a  catastrophe  as  this,  com 
pared  with  which  death  on  the  battle-field,  would  have 
been  to  them,  a  boon  and  blessing.  It  is  pleasant  to 
know,  that  very  few,  indeed,  of  the  multitudes  that  went 
forth  from  northern  homes  to  join  in  defending  the  flag, 
were  brought  to  their  death  in  a  way  so  dreadful  and 
ignominious. 

In  contrast  to  this,  the  soldiers  in  camp  had  seasons 
of  relaxation  and  amusement,  which  they  enjoyed  heart 
ily.  The  monotony  of  camp  life  was  relieved  at  times 
by  such  aesthetic  sports  as  climbing  a  greased  pole, 
catching  a  pig  by  the  caudal  end,  greased  also,  leaping 
over  bars  or  hurdles,  tossing  small  "  contrabands,"  as 
General  Butler  termed  them,  in  blankets,  alternating 
with  an  occasional  foot  race  or  horse  race.  Apropos  of 
the  latter,  one  of  the  surgeons  offered  a  small  wager  that 
he  could  run  his  horse  a  hundred  yards,  turn  round  a 
post  and  get  back  to  the  starting  point  sooner  than  a 
man  on  foot  could  perform  the  same  distance.  One  of 
the  captains  accepted  the  wager  ;  the  parties  set  out  on 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  85 

the  race  ;  the  doctor  reached  the  post  first,  but  the  time 
taken  in  slowing  his  horse  and  turning  around  the  post, 
brought  the  captain  half  way  back  on  the  home  stretch 
and  he  reached  the  goal  before  he  was  overtaken  and 
won  the  race  amid  the  acclamations  of  the   delighted 
spectators.     This  is  one  of  the  more  pleasing  aspects  of 
the   soldier's  life,  and  we   like  to  see  him  get  all  the 
innocent  amusement  he  can,  for  his  service  in  the  field, 
is  at  best,  one  of  hardship  and  discomfort.     But  I  must 
hasten  to  notice  a  mishap,  which  about  this  time,  befell 
a  part  of  the  regiment,  and  which  had  very  serious  con 
sequences  for  those  on  whom  the  misfortune  fell.     This 
was  the  capture  by  the  enemy  of  no  fewer  than  1 1 3  men 
and  two  officers,  with  the  almost  certain  result  of  their 
being  shut  up  in  Southern  prisons,  the  very  name  of 
which  struck  horror  to  the  soul  of  a  Northern  soldier. 
To  understand  how  this  disaster  occurred,  some  account 
is  necessary  of  the  situation  and  movements  of  the  two 
armies. 

In  the  early  part  of  September,  Longstreet's  Corps, 
was  detached  from  Lee's  army  and  sent  to  join  Bragg's 
army  before  Chattanooga.  The  defeat  of  Rosecrans  at 
Chicamauga,  on  the  2Oth  of  September  was  the  result ; 
in  consequence  of  which,  the  Eleventh  and  Twelfth 
corps  of  the  Union  army,  were  sent  west,  under  Hooker, 
to  strengthen  the  army  of  Rosecrans.  What  remained 
of  Lee's  and  M cade's  armies,  soon  began  active  opera 
tions  against  each  other,  the  cavalry  of  each  army 
playing  an  important  part.  The  Union  cavalry,  in  three 
divisions,  under  Buford,  Kilpatrick  and  Gregg,  by  a 
series  of  aggressive  movements,  had  got  possession  of 
the  whole  country  between  the  Rappahannock  and  the 


86  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

Rapidan.  The  enemy's  cavalry,  under  Stuart,  in  two 
strong  divisions,  commanded  respectively  by  Generals 
Fitz  Hugh  Lee  and  Wade  Hampton,  were  on  the  watch 
for  opportunities  to  assail  their  adversaries  to  advantage 
and  regain  possession  of  the  ground  lost.  Meade's 
army  was  concentrated  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cul- 
peper  Court  House,  and  Lee  was  manceuvering  his 
forces  with  a  view  to  bring  his  adversary  to  an  engage 
ment  on  favorable  ground,  calculating  in  this  case  to 
defeat  him.  Stuart  had  posted  Hampton's  division  at 
Madison  Court  House,  a  few  miles  south  of  Robertson 
river,  a  small  affluent  of  the  Rapidan,  while  Kilpatrick's 
command  was  north  of  the  stream,  and  a  few  miles  south 
of  James  City.  Several  miles  north  of  this  place,  at 
Griffinsburg,  a  division  of  the  Third  Corps,  under  Gen 
eral  Prince  was  encamped. 

The  Confederate  army,  on  October  9th,  crossed  the 
Rapidan  and  advanced  by  slow  marches  toward  Madison 
Court  House,  being  posted  on  the  loth,  so  as  easily  to 
outflank  the  Union  right.  The  cavalry  being  in  the 
advance,  detachments  from  Hampton's  division,  crossed 
the  Robertson  river  on  the  evening  of  October  Qth, 
driving  in  the  Union  outposts  toward  James  City. 
General  Meade  regarded  this  movement  only  as  a  feint 
to  cover  the  retreat  of  the  Confederate  army.  Lee's 
subsequent  movements,  however,  show  that  he  had  no 
purpose  to  retreat,  but  was  aiming  to  surprise  and  defeat 
the  Union  army.  In  carrying  out  this  design,  the  Con 
federate  cavalry  took  the  initiative,  and  performed  an 
efficient  part.  This  is  well  described  by  the  subjoined 
paragraph  from  the  Comte  de  Paris'  ''History  of  the 
Civil  War,"  which,  as  embracing  the  disaster  to  the  One 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y,  S.    VOLS.  87 

Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment,  makes  it  accord  with 
the  aim  and  course  of  our  narrative  : 


"At  daybreak  on  the  loth,  Stuart  crossed  Robertson's  river  with 
the  whole  of  Hampton's  division,  his  right  moving  forward  against 
Custer,  who,  being  ordered  not  to  open  the  battle,  gradually  falls 
back  before  it.  The  main  body  of  the  division  follows  the  James 
City  road,  which  ascends  the  northern  extremity  of  Thoroughfare 
Mountain.  Kilpatrick  awaits  the  enemy  in  this  position  with  his 
Second  brigade,  which  Colonel  Davis  commands,  since  the  death  of 
Farnsworth.  General  Prince,  who,  with  a  division  of  the  Third 
Corps,  is  encamped  between  Griffinsburg  and  James  City,  sends  him 
the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth,  New  York.*  But  this  reinforce 
ment  of  less  than  300  men,  is  not  sufficient  to  enable  Kilpatrick  to 
cope  with  the  forces  of  the  Confederates.  The  Union  troopers  have 
dismounted  and  formed  as  skirmishers,  with  the  infantry  on  the  slopes 
of  the  hill.  While  Stuart  makes  Gordon's  brigade,  also  on  foot,  con 
front  them,  he  places  himself  at  the  head  of  Young's  cavalry,  makes 
a  detour  and  arrives  on  their  flank  at  a  gallop.  The  soldiers  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  are  the  first  exposed  to  his  blows, 
almost  all  the  regiment  falls  into  his  hands.  The  Union  cavalry 
rapidly  retreats  to  James  City,  closely  pursued  by  Stuart.  Kilpatrick, 
to  retard  the  pursuit,  brings  forward  his  reserves,  and  a  charge  of  the 
Fifth  New  York  and  Fifth  Michigan,  succeeds  in  setting  free  a  large 
number  of  prisoners.  Despite  a  new  reinforcement  brought  by 
Prince,  the  Federals  are  overmatched.  Pleasanton  orders  Kilpatrick 
to  cover  Prince's  retreat,  by  falling  back  slowly  on  the  Second  and 
Third  Corps,  stationed  on  the  west  of  Culpeper.  and  orders  Custer 
to  join  him  at  James  City." 


*  The  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment  was  not  sent  forward  in  support 
of  Kilpatrick  on  the  loth  of  October,  as  implied  in  the  Comte  de  Paris'  statement. 
It  moved  from  James  City  on  the  afternoon  of  the  8th,  as  appears  from  this  memo 
randum  in  the  diary:  "  October  8th,  marched  with  division  at  4  A.  M.,  twelve 
miles,  halting  at  10  A.  M.,  near  James  City.  At  3:30  p.  M.,  the  regiment  was 
chosen  as  a  cavalry  support,  and  went  four  miles  toward  Madison  Court  House, 
halting  at  a  school  house  one  mile  from  Russell's  Ford  on  Robertson's 
River." 

It  remained  here  through  the  gih  and  till  Stuart's  attack  on  the  loth. 


88  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS, 

Without  extending  this  account,  it  is  enough  to  say 
that  Lee  was  baffled  in  his  purpose  to  force  an  engage 
ment  upon  the  Union  army,  which,  re-crossing  the  Rap- 
pahannock,  was  in  a  position  to  choose  its  own  time  for 
continuing  the  conflict. 

The  result  of  the  foregoing  action  to  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twentieth,  was,  as  before  noticed,  the  cap 
ture  of  1 1 5  men,  including  Surgeons  Miller  and  Hogan. 
These  two  officers  were  not  held  in  captivity  long,  but 
being  paroled,  they  rejoined  their  regiment  December 
1 8th,  when  it  lay  in  winter  quarters  at  Brandy  Station, 
For  the  others,  the  only  fate  that  stared  them  in  the 
face,  was  the  southern  prison,  with  all  the  indignity, 
suffering  and  woe,  which  that  term  implied.  It  is  fitting 
before  taking  leave  of  this  subject,  that  some  account 
should  be  given  of  the  frightful  experiences  of  these 
unfortunate  men  in  the  places  of  torture,  in  which  for 
weary  months  they  were  confined  by  their  unrelenting 
captors.  An  account  of  this  kind  has  been  put  forth  in 
a  printed  paper,  by  Wilbur  L.  Hale,  a  member  of  the 
regiment,  who  himself  saw  and  shared  all  the  horrors 
he  describes.  As  the  story  told  by  him,  is  a  clear, 
graphic  and  striking  one,  needing  no  additions  to  com 
plete  the  picture,  it  will  be  spread  out  before  the  reader 
in  its  main  particulars  in  the  chapter  ensuing.  If  it 
anticipates  a  little  the  general  course  of  the  narrative,  it 
will  prove  at  least,  no  hindrance  to  the  fuller  under 
standing  of  all  matters  of  interest  relating  to  the  fortunes 
of  the  regiment. 


CHAPTER  X. 

WILBUR  L.  MALE'S  NARRATIVE  OF  A  Y-EAR'S  EXPERIENCE  IN  SOUTHERN 
PRISONS — HOW  THE  MEN  WERE  MADE  PRISONERS CONVEYED  TO  RICH 
MOND TREATMENT  BY  THE  WAY HOW  PRISONERS  FARED  IN  LIBBY 

PRISON  AND  BELLE  ISLAND — REMOVED  TO  ANDERSONVILLE AN  ACCOUNT 

OF  THIS    HORRIBLE    PRISON    AND    THE    SUFFERINGS    OF    UNION    SOLDIERS 
CONFINED    THEREIN. 

The  narrative  of  Mr.  Hale,  which  forms  the  subject 
of  the  present  chapter,  treats  of  his  experience  and  that 
of  his  comrades  during  a  year's  confinement  in  the 
Libby,  Belle  Island  and  Andersonville  prisons.  His 
account,  as  written,  is  contained  in  two  newspaper  arti 
cles,  each  of  considerable  length,  the  first  being  con 
cerned  with  the  Libby  and  Belle  Isle  prisons,  the  last 
with  Andersonville.  Interesting  as  are  the  details  in 
the  first  article,  they  cannot  be  given  in  full  without 
curtailing  the  second  article,  or  extending  the  present 
transcript  to  an  inordinate  length.  This  is  the  less 
necessary,  as  the  account  of  Andersonville,  the  most 
notorious  of  the  southern  prisons,  embraces  all  of  priva 
tion  and  suffering  that  belonged  to  the  other  two. 
What  was  endured  at  Libby  and  Belle  Isle,  was  endured 
at  Andersonville,  and  in  greater  degree.  The  account 
of  this  last,  associated  as  it  is  in  northern  minds  with 
unimaginable  horrors,  will  be  given  entire.  The  main 
points  of  interest  in  the  first  article  will  be  presented, 
so  as  to  give  the  reader  the  substance  of  what  the  writer 
would  convey,  and  preserve  the  connection  between  the 
several  parts  of  his  narrative. 


9O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

The  circumstances  under  which  the  members  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  were  captured,  are  set 
forth  in  the  following  opening  paragraphs  : 

"It  could  hardly  be  expected  of  a  regiment  that  was  so  continually 
at  the  front,  and  whose  whole  term  of  service  was  along  the  danger 
line — taking  part  in  all  the  battles,  skirmishes,  marchings,  and  severer 
duties  of  a  soldier  in  which  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  engaged, 
should  escape  losing  more  or  less  of  its  members,  as  prisoners  of  war. 
The  regiment  fought  well  at  Chancellorsville,  holding  its  line  until 
the  line  was  completely  wiped  out  by  the  victorious  rebels,  who  turned 
our  left  flank,  and,  except  the  good  runners,  rolled  us  up  into  a  ball 
— just  the  condition  for  the  capture  of  prisoners,  but  were  not  able 
to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity,  thanks  to  the  brisk  shelling  they 
received. 

"At  Gettysburg,  where  the  fight  was  so  hot  that  we  lost  more  than 
three-fifths  of  our  strength  in  about  three  hours,  with  the  lines  so 
close  together  that  on  three  occasions,  at  least,  the  conflict  was  a  hand- 
to-hand  fight,  the  charges  of  the  enemy  were  so  quickly  and  thoroughly 
broken  that  the  opportunity  for  capture  of  prisoners  did  not  occur. 

"  It  is  possible  our  previous  exemption  from  capture  had  banished 
all  thought  of  that  event  from  our  minds,  for  certain  it  is  the  rank  and 
file  saw  and  appreciated  the  danger,  as,  formed  in  line  of  battle,  on 
the  roth  of  October,  1863,  near  James  City,  Va.,  we  endeavored  to 
stop  the  onward  progress  of  Lee's  whole  army,  imperative  orders  being 
given  that  our  position  be  held,  and  though  we  saw  clearly  the  cavalry 
closing  in  on  both  flanks,  the  regiment  held  its  ground  until  the  order 
was  reluctantly  given  to  'fall  back.' 

;t  The  order  was  deferred  too  long,  however,  and  in  the  disorder 
consequent  upon  it,  the  rebel  cavalry  rode  through  our  numbers  in  all 
directions,  with  their  cries  of  'surrender.'  Instances  of  personal 
bravery  and  persistent  refusal  to  surrender  were  very  common  and 
marked,  but  we  were  overwhelmed  by  numbers,  and  under  the  per 
suasive  argument  of  from  two  to  half  a  dozen  loaded  carbines,  most 
of  us  thought  discretion  the  better  part  of  valor,  and  one  after  another 
threw  down  his  arms  and  gave  up  the  fight. 

"On  being  brought  together  in  the  rear  of  our  victorious  enemy,  it 
•was  made  apparent  the  regiment  had  suffered  severely  in  regard  to 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  9  I 

prisoners,  and  before  our  march  to  the  rear,  toward  Gordonsville,  was 
commenced,  a  count  showed  one  hundred  and  thirteen  men,  includ 
ing  our  hospital  steward,  surgeons  Hogan  and  Miller. 

After  their  capture,  the  men  were  taken  to  Gordons 
ville,  under  charge  of  a  detail  from  the  Fifth  Virginia 
cavalry.  The  march  was  wearisome  and  painful,  one  of 
its  chief  hardships,  being  a  deficiency  of  food.  Their 
own  rations  were  exhausted  and  their  captors  were  no 
better  furnished,  in  this  respect,  than  themselves,  though 
ready  to  share  such  provisions  as  they  had,  with  the 
men  placed  under  their  charge.  It  is  pleasant  to  see 
soldiers  compassionate  and  kind  to  enemies  in  captivity 
and  misfortune,  and  rendering  as  far  as  in  their  power, 
friendly  offices  to  adversaries  lately  arrayed  in  arms 
against  them,  but  now  in  need  of  aid  and  cheer.  Such 
a  spectacle  is  presented  in  this  passage  of  Mr.  Male's 
narrative  : 

"The  morning  of  our  capture  was  to  have  been  the  time  of  our 
relief  from  picket  duty,  and  our  rations  were  exhausted,  but  few  of 
the  men  having  enough  in  their  haversacks  to  last  them  through  the 
day.  An  appeal  was  made  to  the  guard  for  breakfast,  but  the  asking 
was  barren  of  results.  Indeed,  our  captors  were  themselves  on  short 
rations,  and  told  us  plainly  that  their  hopes  and  expectations  were  a 
strike  on  our  trains.  Our  guard  were  veterans — several  of  them 
having  been  prisoners  themselves,  and  whether  from  their  own 
experience,  or  the  deeper,  purer  feeling  of  pity  that  brave  men  dare  to 
feel  and  show,  not  a  blanket,  tent,  knapsack  or  any  of  our  furniture 
was  taken,  and  though  their  own  rations  consisted  of  but  little  beside 
parched  corn,  they  offered  that  freely  to  those  that  were  without  food, 
and  halted  at  noon  as  long  as  they  dared,  to  give  us  an  opportunity 
to  roast  some  corn  we  plucked  from  a  field  by  the  wayside.  It  was 
rather  hard  feed  for  us,  but  it  was  all  our  captors  had  themselves,  and 
I  am  sure  that  through  all  that  long  and  weary  march  we  saw  no  meat 
rations  but  those  in  possession  of  the  prisoners. 


92  -ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

li  We  reached  Gordonsville  about  midnight  and  were  turned  over 
to  the  provost-guard  at  that  place.  We  here  found,  as  on  several  occa 
sions  afterward,  that  the  severest,  strictest  and  most  cruel  guard  that 
prisoners  of  war  could  ever  have,  were  not  the  brave  boys  that  dared 
to  meet  us  in  open  fight.  They  fought  hard — too  hard  for  us  at 
times — but  with  the  battle  over,  were  always  kind  and  generous. 
Indeed,  while  in  camp  or  on  picket  our  men  often  strove  to  be  as 
near  the  enemy  as  possible.  The  horrid  custom  of  picket  firing  had 
ceased  by  the  time  our  regiment  reached  the  front,  and  no  '  Johnnie' 
ever  appealed  to  us  for  bread  or  '  Yank  '  asked  for  the  golden  weed, 
without  being  supplied,  though  I  have  known  our  boys  to  go  on  half 
rations  to  feed  the  hungry  enemy." 

No  such  spectacle  as  this  was  seen,  or  perhaps  was 
possible,  in  the  prisons  where  our  soldiers  were  confined. 
In  these,  the  rule  was  unmitigated  severity.  The  men 
on  guard  were  under  the  eye  and  control,  if  they  did 
not  always  share  the  spirit,  of  a  stern,  cruel  and  inex 
orable  officer  in  charge.  This  made  pity  or  mercy  for 
prisoners,  or  care  for  their  comfort,  or  the  alleviation  of 
their  misery,  words  without  meaning.  The  words  were 
not  found  in  the  prison  vocabulary,  and  all  that  remained 
for  the  sufferers  was  an  unvarying  repetition  of  woes 
that  seemed  to  great  for  human  beings  to  endure. 

Packed  into  filthy  cars,  the  men  were  carried  from 
Gordonsville  to  Richmond,  where  their  first  prison 
experience  began,  as  thus  related  : 

"  This  was  the  celebrated  Libby  Prison.  It  was  situated  between 
Carey  street  and  the  canal,  and  except  in  the  matter  of  food,  we  could 
have  gotten  along  there  very  pleasantly.  On  the  following  Wednesday, 
October  I4th,  however,  we  were  removed  to  another  building.  This 
had  been  occupied  as  a  tobacco  warehouse,  and  except  for  the  fact 
that  we  had  a  shelter  over  us  and  a  dry  floor  to  sleep  on,  was  the 
worst  accommodations  we  had  in  the  Confederacy.  No  water,  or  but 
very  little,  was  furnished  ;  the  water  closet  arrangements  were  so 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  93 

deficient,  that  portions,  at  least,  -of  our  room  were  covered  with 
excrement  and  filth  that  reeked  and  smelled  until  men  grew  ill  from 
the  fearful  stench,  and  without  knowing  where  we  were  to  be  taken, 
men  never  removed  their  quarters  more  cheerfully  than  did  we,  when 
on  November  i6th,  we  were  transferred  to  the  Pemberton  building, 
opposite,  or  nearly  opposite,  our  original  quarters  in  Libby. 

"This  building  certainly  was  a  wonderful  improvement  over  any 
quarters  in  which  we  had  been  confined  in  Richmond.  Water  and 
other  accommodations  were  good,  and  to  our  great  joy,  we  discovered 
in  cutting  through  a  brick  wall  that  separated  us  from  an  adjoining 
building  a  large  supply  of  tobacco  stems  and  a  number  of  sheets  ot 
tin.  The  most  of  us  understood  at  once  the  value  of  tobacco,  but  it 
remained  for  John  R.  Jones,  a  member  of  company  I,  and  a  tinker, 
to  see  any  particular  value,  or  anything  to  be  desired  in  the  plates  ot 
tin.  He  did  see  it,  however,  and  appropriated  it  all  to  his  benefit. 
He  was  very  kind,  however,  and  made  pails  for  us  that  held  about 
three  quarts,  that  he  sold  as  fast  as  he  could  make  for  five  dollars 
each,  Confederate  money.  The  price  was  wonderfully  large — in 
appearance.  It  was  only  in  appearance,  however,  for  with  that 
money  20  to  i  for  United  States  greenbacks,  the  price  in  our  money 
— to  those  that  had  it,  was  but  25  cents,  which  was  certainly  cheap, 
and  as  Jones  put  it,  could  not  be  afforded  only  that  '  I  stole  all  the 
material,  and  do  the  work  to  keep  out  of  mischief/ 

"While  in  this  building,  our  regular  rations,  when  they  were  any 
thing  like  regular,  were  one-half  pound  of  corn  bread  a  day,  beef 
occasionally,  rice  more  frequently,  though  not  often,  and  occasionally 
something  that  those  professing  to  know,  called  mule  or  horse,  and 
that  was  certainly  dark  and  coarse  and  tough,  was  added.  What 
added  to  our  certainty  that  it  was  one  or  the  other  was,  we  were 
more  likely  to  get  it  after  a  fight  at  the  front. 

"  The  bread  served  us  was  of  corn,  ground  cob  and  all,  never 
sifted  nor  salted,  but  mixed  with  water  and  baked.  The  beans  and 
rice,  the  former  especially,  being  wormy,  were  very  bad,  and  were 
prepared  for  the  prisoners  in  a  wretched  manner,  being  boiled  or 
partly  boiled  in  4o-gallon  kettles,  that  being  half  full,  were  filled  with 
cold  water,  which  was  dipped  off  and  served  to  us  as  soup.  It 
certainly  was  economical,  as  a  kettle  half  full  was,  by  the  addition  of 
a  sufficient  quantity  of  water,  made  to  do  duty  as  soup  for  a  thousand 
men. 


94  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

These  supplies  bordering  on  starvation,  were  largely 
owing,  the  writer  thinks,  to  the  Confederate  Commis 
sariat,  and  to  the  enormous  price  at  which  provisions 
and  all  necessaries  of  life  were  selling  at  Richmand,  their 
money  value  rising  higher  every  month.  He  quotes 
from  a  Richmond  paper  the  following  market  report  for 
December  29th,  1863  : 

Flour,  $110  to  $220  per  barrel. 
Beans,  $28  per  bushel. 
Wheat,  $20  per  bushel. 
Apples,  $60  to  $70  per  barrel. 
Nails,  $110  to  $130  per  keg. 
Corn,  $12  per  bushel,  very  scarce. 
Peas,  $25  per  bushel,  very  scarce. 
Whisky,  $85  per  gallon. 
Rum,  $80  per  gallon. 
Brandy,  $55  to  $58  per  gallon. 

This,  too,  when  the  papers  of  the  city,  no  doubt  taking  the  cue 
from  the  government,  possibly  doing  it  by  rebel  orders,  were  filled 
with  boastings  of  the  strength  of  the  Confederacy  and  their  ability  to 
continue  the  war  indefinitely. 

A  supply  of  rations  from  the  North  for  the  Union 
prisoners  arrived  in  Richmond  about  the  middle  of 
November.  They  were  distributed  among  the  proper 
recipients,  and  for  the  six  weeks  that  the  provisions 
lasted,  they  ministered  greatly  to  the  comfort  and  refresh 
ment  of  the  men  whose  bodily  vigor  was  giving  way 
under  scanty  and  unwholesome  diet.  Amid  all  their 
privations,  they  did  not  lose  sight  of  their  religious 
obligations,  nor  the  need  of  Heavenly  succor  in  their 
trials,  nor  the  soothing  and  strengthening  influence  of 
the  meeting  for  praise  and  prayer,  and  this  is  told  in  the 
following  words  : 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  9  5 

"  So  the  days  passed  on.  They  were  frightfully  long,  and  every 
means  conceivable  were  brought  into  requisition  to  employ  our  minds 
and  bodies.  Immediately  on  our  confinement  some  of  ihe  One  Hun 
dred  and  Twentieth,  that  were  accustomed  to  hold  prayer  meetings 
in  the  regiment,  re-opened  them.  The  first  attendance  was  but  a 
half  dozen,  but  the  interest  grew  until  hundreds  attended  nightly.  It 
was  a  strange  thought  and  a  stranger  sight,  that  in  that  building,  amid 
the  jest  and  scoff  of  some  of  our  comrades,  and  often  of  all  the  dis 
turbance  the  guard  could  raise,  that  men  would  thus  meet  for  prayer 
and  praise.  That  it  was  good,  the  writer  knows  full  well,  for  amid 
our  surroundings  many  whose  thoughts  for  possibly  the  first  time  since 
they  left  home,  were  led  in  that  direction,  came  to  the  Great  burden 
bearer,  and  afterward  in  their  lives  showed  the  change,  and  many  of 
them  died  strong  in  the  new  found  hope  and  precious  peace." 

On  January  2ist,  1864,  their  then  place  of  confine 
ment  was  vacated  and  the  prisoners  transferred  to  Belle 
Isle.  How  the  men  were  tempted  to  forswear  their 
allegiance,  and  find  freedom,  employment  and  good  sup 
port  by  joining  the  Confederacy,  and  how  the  overture 
was  rejected,  the  following  paragraph  will  show  : 

"  Here  again  rebel  officers  came  with  offers  of  quarters,  food  and 
clothing  to  those  who  would  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  and  accept 
employment  in  the  Tredagar  Iron  Works,  and  other  places.  But 
few,  very,  very  few  accepted  ;  still,  it  was  a  fearful  temptation  to 
many.  The  picture  was  made  as  complete  as  words  could  paint  it. 
Our  government  had  forsaken  us.  They  would  never  consent  to  a 
parole  for  fear  the  rebels  would  not  observe  it,  (had  I  been  a  rebel  I 
never  would  have  used  that  argument,)  and  knowing  one  mail  on 
the  defensive  was  as  good  as  two  or  more  in  an  aggressive  fight,  they 
— our  government —  had  concluded  to  let  us  die.  We  were  openly 
told  of  the  opportunities  we  would  have  to  desert  them  and  escape 
North,  but  no,  they  stood  and  swore  allegiance  to  the  stars  and  stripes 
while  stand  they  could,  and  then  bravely,  calmly,  nobly  laid  down  to 
die,  and  die  they  did  rather  than  stain  their  souls  with  treason,  and 
their  lips  with  such  a  lie,  and  among  the  things  longest  to  be  remem- 


•96  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

bered  were  the  last  words  of  some  dying  comrade,  as  feeling  the  icy 
fingers  of  death  groping  for  their  heart  strings  they  would  draw  a 
comrade's  ear  down  to  their  fast  stiffening  lips  and  whisper,  'tell 
father,  mother,  wife,  children  and  friends,  I  did  not  desert/  Those 
deaths  were  glorious. " 

The  removal  to  Belle  Isle  did  not  add  to  the  comfort 
of  the  imprisoned,  as  appears  from  the  following 
extract : 


"  Rations  were  smaller,  if  possible,  on  the  island  than  in  the  city, 
.and  without  clothing  or  tents — and  an  exceptionally  hard  winter,  and 
a  necessity  for  greater  exercise  to  keep  warm,  men  suffered  very 
much.  Many  walked  the  whole  night  through,  and  overcome  by 
fatigue  and  weakness,  some  lay  down  and  froze.  At  any  rate  they 
died,  and  were  found  next  morning  stiff  in  death.  At  one  time  some 
of  our  guard  were  accompanied  by  dogs,  but  after  several  had  been 
coaxed  over  the  line  and  killed  and  eaten,  the  practice  was  discon 
tinued." 

This  prison  life  on  the  Isle,  ended  March  4th,  on 
which  day  they  were  taken  back  to  Richmond  and  hopes 
of  parole  were  held  out  to  the  men  languishing  for 
release  from  their  fearful  captivity.  These  hopes  were 
destined  soon  to  be  destroyed.  For  entering  cars  the 
next  day,  the  prisoners  were  carried  to  Petersburg, 
where  some  fancied  the  paroling  process  might  be  per 
formed  in  their  favor.  Instead  of  this,  they  soon  learned 
to  their  horror,  that  their  destination  was  Andersonville, 
toward  which  the  train  was  now  making  its  way.  This 
was  appalling  information  to  the  unfortunate  captives, 
several  of  whom  in  their  distress  and  in  the  face  of  all 
hazards,  flung  themselves  from  the  train  hoping  to 
escape,  but  were  shot  down  by  the  vigilant  guards  who 
lined  the  tops  of  the  cars.  The  train  on  reaching 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  97 

Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  stopped  a  short  time  for  sup 
plies,  and  the  wearied  prisoners  were  allowed  to  leave 
the  cars  for  sorely  needed  rest  and  refreshment.  When 
the  journey  was  resumed,  several  of  their  comrades,  too 
ill  to  go  farther,  were  left  behind,  to  find  such  kindness 
as  the  people  of  the  country  might  show  them.  At 
length,  after  eight  days' travel,  on  the  i2th  of  March, 
they  reached  the  end  of  their  journey,  and  the  grim 
palisades  of  the  Andersonville  prison  rose  before  them, 
within  which  they  were  to  dwell,  how  long,  no  one 
could  say,  and  quite  likely  to  find — unless  all  accounts 
were  false — a  release  only  through  the  grave. 


THE  STORY  OF  ANDERSONVILLE. 

If  there  is  in  all  the  world,  certainly  to  those  who  suffered  there 
as  prisoners  of  war,  any  single  name  or  word  that  stands  as  a  synonym 
for  inhumanity,  brutality  and  suffering,  that  word  is  Andersonville. 
Wirz  might  be  coupled  with  it  by  the  people  of  the  North,  but  to 
those  who  suffered,  Andersonville  includes  all,  as  without  the  one 
there  could  never  have  been  the  other. 

Andersonville  is  a  small  village,  credited  by  the  census  of  1880 
with  a  population  of  308,  in  Sumter  County,  on  the  line  of  the  Cen 
tral  Railroad,  about  75  miles  southwest  of  Macon,  and  about  50 
miles  from  the  Alabama  line.  It  was  so  far  in  the  interior  as  to  be 
out  of  reach  of  any  raiding  parties  of  Union  men,  though  we  did 
think  sometimes  that  a  small,  well"  mounted  and  well  armed  force  of 
cavalry  might  have  reached  us  from  the  south.  They  never  came,  how 
ever.  It  is  possible  they  never  could  have  reached  us,  or,  having 
reached  us,  and  encumbered  with  such  a  load  as  we  would  have 
made,  could  never  have  escaped  the  force  that  would  certainly  have 
been  sent  after  them. 

In  many  respects  the  place  might  have  been  made  a  great  improve 
ment  over  Richmond  and  Belle  Isle.  The  place  selected  for  us  was 
on  the  bank  of  a  considerable  stream,  and  heavily  wooded. 

7 


98  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

These  advantages,  however,  were  all  nullified  by  the  rebels,  who 
cut  down  every  tree  on  the  ground  to  build  a  stockade.  This  was 
done  by  cutting  the  trees  into  lengths  of  about  twenty-five  feet,  hewing 
two  sides  to  make  a  close  fit,  and  standing  them  closely  together  in  a 
trench  about  five  feet  deep.  This  made  a  tight  fence  of  about  twenty 
feet  in  height  around  an  enclosure  of  from  eight  to  ten  acres.  There 
were  two  entrances  on  the  north  side  of  the  prison,  one  on  each  side 
of  a  stream  that  ran  through  it,  dividing  it  nearly  in  halves,  with  the 
larger  half  on  the  east  side  of  the  stream.  The  gates  were  massive 
enough,  in  appearance  to  us  at  least,  to  have  withstood  a  battery  of 
six-pounders,  and  as  we  neared  them  a  comrade  said  :  "Whoever 
enters  here  leaves  hope  behind."  I  told  him  we  had  lived  in  Rich 
mond  five  months  without  hope,  except  in  God,  and  this  could  be 
no  worse. 

During  the  greater  portion  of  the  time  in  Richmond,  I  had  acted 
as  sergeant  of  the  floor,  the  duty  being  to  distribute  rations  as  they 
were  issued  to  us,  receiving  therefor  an  extra  ration  a  day,  when  there 
was  any  issued.  The  same  good  fortune  followed  me  in  Anderson- 
ville,  where  I  was  chosen  as  sergeant  of  a  squad  of  three  hundred, 
with  the  same  pay. 

It  seemed  as  we  walked  into  the  stockade  that  it  was  an  improve 
ment  on  Belle  Island.  In  addition  to  poor  rations  there  we  suffered 
from  neglect,  prisoners  being  turned  out  of  buildings  in  the  city  in 
the  midst  of  winter  with  insufficient  clothing,  and  without  tents  to 
shelter  them  from  the  wind  and  cold  of  the  dreary  desert  of  that  place. 

Andersonville  was  warmer.  It  was  also  new,  the  ground  being 
not  yet  filled  with  the  filth  and  death  of  the  Island.  As  summer 
heat  came  on,  however,  we  wished  ourselves  north  again.  No  pro 
tection  of  any  kind  was  provided  from  the  sun.  Men  grew  sick  and 
died  from  contact  with  the  almost  torrid  glare.  At  first  we  crouched 
along  the  stockade  as  a  means  of  protection,  but  that  was  stopped  by 
a  line  erected  a  rod  inside  the  stockade,  to  pass  beyond  which  was 
sure  and  certain  death.  At  first  we  were  well  supplied  with  pure 
water  for  drinking  purposes  and  to  cook  our  scanty  dole  of  corn  or 
rice  and  beans,  but  later  on  a  cook-house  was  established  on  the  up 
stream  side  of  the  stockade,  and  next  above  that  a  camp  was  estab 
lished  for  our  guard.  The  establishment  of  cook-house  and  bakery 
was  a  benefit,  as  wood  was  decidedly  scarce,  as  were  also  cooking 
utensils,  but  while  the  building  subserved  that  interest  for  us  the  filth 


ONE   HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  99 

from  the  cook-house  and  the  sinks  of  the  guard  above  us,  added  to 
that  of  the  horses  of  the  cavalry  and  battery,  that  all  floated  down 
the  stream,  made  it  so  foul  it  could  no  longer  be  used  for  drinking 
purposes  or  bathing.  Providence  was  kinder  to  us  then  than  were 
our  captors  or  Wirz,  for  during  a  heavy  shower  about  that  time  a  new 
and  living  spring  of  clear  water  burst  forth  from  the  hillside  in  the 
stockade,  that  continued  to  run  during  all  the  time  of  our  confine 
ment  there,  and,  I  am  assured  by  a  friend  who  visited  the  place  a  few 
years  ago,  that  though  the  timbers  had  fallen  away  in  many  places, 
that  spring,  with  its  pure  and  limpid  water,  continued  to  flow. 

As  the  stockade  filled  up,  however,  other  sources  of  supply  were 
found  necessary,  and  as  wells  were  dug — some  of  them  being  dry, 
the  idea  of  a  tunnel  out  of  our  prison  was  suggested.  Many  of  them 
were  dug.  The  men  would  get  as  near  the  stockade  as  possible, 
taking  care  to  shield  themselves  from  the  eye  of  the  guard,  who, 
placed  on  a  runway  two  or  three  feet  below  the  top  and  outside  the 
stockade,  kept  their  eyes  upon  us,  and  between  their  cry  of  "Post 
number  one,"  two,  or  twenty,  as  the  case  might  be,  "all  is  well," 
would  carry  out  their  haversacks  full  of  sand  and  dump  it  in  the 
swift-flowing  run  or  stream  below  us.  In  this  way  the  shafts  were 
sunk  twenty  feet  deep  or  more,  when  taking  a  course  parallel  with  the 
surface  the  tunnel  would  be  run  one,  two  or  three  hundred  feet 
beyond  the  stockade.  Unfortunately  much  of  this  work  was  done  a 
short  time  before  the  rain  that  opened  our  spring,  occurred,  and  still 
more  unfortunately  one  or  two  of  the  tunnels,  on  the  south  side  were 
dug  so  shallow  that  as  the  rain  made  its  way  into  the  soil  the  support 
of  the  piles  gave  way,  and  sections  of  them  fell.  The  full  guard  was 
called  out,  and  the  battery  with  grape  and  canister  was  trained  on  us, 
and  our  courage  gave  way. 

Tunneling  was  tried  later  on,  but  Wirz,  had  taken  the  hint,  and 
by  means  of  spies  that  were  sent  in  with  detachments  of  prisoners, 
our  plans  in  that  direction  were  all  discovered  and  foiled.  One  of 
the  spies  came  to  grief,  however,  for  being  himself  discovered,  he 
was  pressed  so  hard  he  ran  beyond  the  dead  line,  and  was  instantly 
killed  by  a  bullet  from  the  guard. 

Here,  as  in  Richmond,  rebel  agents,  ministers,  or  professed 
ministers,  included,  were  sent  or  came  into  the  prison  to  persuade 
men  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  rebel  government.  Good 
pay  and  work  was  promised  at  places  so  remote  from  any  probable 


I OO  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

line  of  march  the  Union  army  might  take,  we  would  never  be  seen  or 
captured  by  them.  I  myself  was  offered  a  position  as  superintendent 
of  a  mill,  for  I  was  a  miller,  and  was  promised  all  the  colored  men 
needed  to  do  the  laborious  part  of  the  work,  if  I  would  go  out  and 
grind  grain  for  the  guard.  I  agreed  to  go  if  the  product  of  the 
mill  could  go  into  the  stockades  and  hospital,  but  that  being  declined 
I  refused,  though  threatened  with  solitary  confinement. 

In  many  respects  Andersonville  was  much  worse  than  either 
Libby  Prison  or  Belle  Island.  To  be  sure  it  was  not  so  cold  as 
farther  north,  but  with  no  protection  from  the  elements,  every  change 
of  the  weather  resulted  in  a  higher  death  rate.  If  hot  or  cold  or  wet, 
the  result  was  all  the  same  and  meant  more  death  for  us.  There  was 
never  more  than  30,000  prisoners  there  at  any  one  time,  tho'  first  and 
last  nearly  or  quite  double  that  number  were  sent  to  that  horrible 
place,  and  until  June  ist,  the  number  did  not  exced  15,000,  still 
from  March  ist  to  October  ist,  the  number  of  dead  men  reached  the 
enormous  figure  of  36,912.  Mark  the  number.  It  is  more  than  the 
population  at  any  one  time,  and  yet  I  assert  it  did  not  tell  the  whole 
story,  for  being  in  a  position  to  know  the  number  of  prisoners  at 
times,  and  also  to  know  the  number  of  daily  dead,  I  figured  out  that 
a  like  proportion  of  deaths  would  carry  off  the  last  man  in  the  stock 
ade  in  165  days — just  five  and  one-half  months.  The  above  number, 
36,912,  however,  is  rebel  record,  and  they  lied  to  make  their  record 
seem  less  heinous. 

Indeed,  the  policy  of  some  of  the  officers  at  least  was  to  kill  or 
permit  the  prisoners  to  die.  In  the  early  spring  I  found  Richard 
Johnston,  a  member  of  my  company  and  an  old  acquaintance  from 
the  town  of  my  residence,  suffering  severely  from  diarrhoea.  I 
applied  to  Dr.  McVeigh,  of  Salem,  Va.,  for  permission  to  go  outside 
and  get  pine  boughs  to  make  a  bed  and  raise  him  from  the  ground. 
His  cool  deliberate  reply  was:  "Damn  the  Yankees,  let  them 
die  !  Each  one  that  dies  is  one  less  without  any  risk  for  us  to  kill 
him." 

I  held  the  position  of  master  of  the  gangrene  ward,  in  the  prison. 
As  is  known,  this  is  a  mortification  of  the  part  affected,  resulting  from 
poverty  of  the  blood  and  system,  and  under  the  very  best  of  circum 
stances — where  food  and  anti-scorbutics  are  plenty  and  of  the  best 
and  most  nourishing  character,  is  a  very  stubborn  disease,  if  such  it 
may  be  called,  while  in  such  a  place  as  that,  where  strength  and  vigor 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I O  I 

was  as  completely  gone  as  was  ours,  its  appearance  was  the  sure  pre 
cursor  of  speedy  death. 

Dr.  McVeigh  used  to  say  it  was  an  excellent  place  to  learn  sur 
gery,  and  would  cut  and  haggle  at  the  limbs  of  the  poor  wretches, 
though  he  knew  the  conditions  of  their  system  was  such,  that  in 
thirty-six  hours  at  the  farthest,  gangrene  would  almost  certainly  be  at 
its  fearful  work,  and  with  their  greatly  enfeebled  strength  the  patients 
were  sure  candidates  for  the  trench,  where  in  rows  of  fifty,  the  dead 
were  laid. 

For  a  very  large  proportion  of  the  spring  and  all  summer,  the 
accommodations  at  the  hospital  were  wofully  deficient  in  tents  and 
number  of  beds,  hearing  of  which  and  thinking  their  chances  of  care 
among  their  own  comrades  of  company  or  regiment  was  better  than 
with  entire  strangers,  many  of  the  sick  preferred  the  stockade  and 
were  not  brought  out  to  the  hospital,  until  the  very  last  stages. 

On  that  account  and  also  because  all  illnesses  at  Andersonville 
seemed  to  impair  the  mind  and  memory  of  the  diseased,  a  very  large 
proportion  of  those  received  were  unable  to  give  their  names.  Add 
to  this  cause  the  fact  that  labels  containing  name,  rank  and  regiment 
were  only  pinned  on  the  clothing  of  the  dead,  and  that  other  fact  that 
many  of  the  dead  were  carried  naked  to  burial,  and  the  only  wonder 
is  the  list  of  unknown  dead  is  no  larger  than  it  is. 

It  is  shocking  to  think  of  men  carried  naked  to  their  graves.  It 
was  not  so  at  first,  for  one  and  another  comrade  would  give  this,  that 
or  the  other  portion  of  clothing  to  cover  the  naked  ones,  until  some 
of  our  own  men,  detailed  to  bury  the  dead,  sent  surreptitious  word 
into  the  hospital  that  men  decently  clothed  were  stripped  by  the  rebels, 
and  to  prevent  this  as  well  as  protect  ourselves,  all  good  clothing  was 
taken  from  the  dead  to  cover  the  living.  Indeed,  but  for  that  fact,  we 
would  have  been  an  army  of  nude  men. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  with  death  staring  continually  in  our  face, 
the  temptation  to  lawlessness  and  disorder  should  not  at  times  at  least 
be  yielded  to.  It  was  to  an  extent,  in  Richmond,  though  nothing  in 
comparison  to  that  at  Andersonville,  where  robbery  and  murder  even 
became  so  frequent  that  in  self  defence  a  prisoner  called  Big  Pete,  a 
corporal  of  Company  G,  Second  Massachusetts,  H.  A.,  took  the  case  in 
hand,  and,  organizing  a  police  force,  made  the  arrest  of  one  called^ 
Mosby  by  our  men,  from  being  chief  raider,  and  several  of  his  men. 
With  the  consent  of  Captain  Wirz,  a  jury  was  impanneled,  and  a 


IO2  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

prosecuting  attorney  appointed  from  the  prisoners,  with  a  rebel  law 
yer  for  defence.  The  men  were  fairly  tried,  six  of  them  found  guilty 
and  hanged.  The  records  of  the  trial  were  preserved  and  brought 
to  Washington,  where  the  findings  of  the  court  were  preserved  and  to 
day  are  on  file  in  the  War  Department,  as  part  of  their  records. 

This  action  gave  us  peace  from  that  quarter,  though  in  no  other 
manner  did  it  at  all  affect  our  interests  or  add  at  all  to  our  comfort. 
It  stopped  the  raiding  of  lawless  men  in  our  midst,  but  had  no  effect 
whatever  on  the  continual  raid  made  on  our  health  and  strength  by 
the  terrible  heat,  ruthless  hunger,  and  unnecessary  privation. 

The  talk  of  exchange  or  parole  broke  out  again  in  July  or  Aug 
ust.  It  was  started  from  Wirz'  headquarters,  and  had  a  short  run 
when,  as  if  to  purposely  deaden  our  hopes  and  fill  us  with  despair 
again,  a  detail  of  carpenters  was  called  for  from  the  prisoners,  and 
the  work  of  erecting  barracks  in  the  stockade  was  commenced  and 
continued  until  about  four  buildings  of  about  20x50  feet  had  been 
erected,  when  the  work  was  as  suddenly  stopped.  The  work  was 
commenced  with  the  ostensible  purpose  of  contributing  to  our  com 
fort  during  the  coming  fall  and  winter.  Our  idea  was,  the  rebels  were 
becoming  alarmed  at  the  approach  of  the  Union  army  through  Ten 
nessee  and  into  Georgia,  for  almost  simultaneously  with  the  cessation 
of  work  on  the  buildings  inside  the  stockade,  carpenters  and  laborers 
were  withdrawn  from  the  prison  and  sent  north.  It  took  us  a  long 
time  to  discover  their  destination,  but  it  was  subsequently  revealed 
that  Florence,  S.  C,  was  their  objective  point.  That  was  a  small 
village  in  Darlington  county,  about  75  miles  east  of  Columbia,  at  the 
junction  of  the  North  Eastern  Railroad,  running  north  from  Charles 
ton,  distant  about  125  miles,  and  about  the  same  distance  west  of 
Wilmington,  N.  C. 

I  never  reached  that  place,  but  was  told  what  could  have  been 
expected,  that  being  farther  from  food  supplies,  the  condition  of  the 
prisoners  was,  if  possible,  rather  worse  than  Andersonville.  The 
stockade  was  not  completed  when  the  prisoners  reached  that  point, 
and  in  consequence  guard  rule  was  more  rigid  and  severe,  and 
rations  less. 

I   was  in  hopes  the  move  meant  something  better,  for  me,  at  least, 
though  what  it  was,  or  the  direction  from  which  the  hoped-for  relief 
would  come,  was  altogether  an  unknown  equation  until  about  Sep 
tember  2Oth,  when,  tired  and  weary  from  a  long  vigil  at  the  bedside 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS,  1 03 

of  a  member  of  Company  I,  my  own  company,  who  I  thought  could 
not  live  through  the  night,  I  had  lain  down  under  a  piece  of  cotton 
cloth,  confiscated  from  the  Confederacy,  and  which  I  afterward 
brought  home,  my  sleep  was  disturbed  by  a  comrade  trying  to  pull 
me  out  into  the  moonlight.  We  were  never  surprised  at  anything,  in 
those  days.  I  quietly  opened  my  eyes  and  saw  Richard  L.  Tinker, 
one  of  my  nurses,  who,  warning  me  to  make  no  noise,  told  me  to 
come  out  into  the  bright  moonlight.  He  then  said  Wirz  had  sent 
for  him  in  the  early  evening  and  told  him  to  notify  and  enroll  all 
sailors,  preparatory  to  being  sent  north  to  Charleston  for  parole,  and 
thinking  of  a  comrade  that  had  succumbed  to  the  cruel  treatment  of 
his  captors  he  had  entered  me  on  the  roll  as  Frederick  A.  James,  car 
penter's  mate  of  the  gunboat  Housatonic,  though  before  he  told  me 
that,  he  made  me  swear  never  to  reveal  the  source  from  which  I  had 
received  the  name,  in  case  I  could  not  '  pull  through  '  on  that  line. 
I,  of  course,  was  willing  to  give  any  pledge  in  return  for  the  prospect 
of  getting  away  from  the  city  of  death,  in  which  I  had  been  confined 
since  March  previous ;  and  until  the  dawning  of  the  morning  he 
kindly  sat  with  me  and  posted  me  on  points  that  might  be  necessary 
for  me  to  know. 

I  was  weak  in  body  and  enfeebled  in  mind,  but  the  waiting  lasted 
through  a  long  and  dreary  week  until  September  27th,  when  Wirz 
directed  Tinker  to  get  his  men  together  and  report  at  his  headquar 
ters.  I  was  placed  in  the  rear  rank  so  Wirz  would  not  notice  me. 
He  spied  me  out,  however,  and  threatened  to  send  all  soldiers  back  to 
the  stockade.  He,  however,  was  as  anxious  to  get  rid  of  us  as  were 
we  to  leave  his  inhospitable  board,  and  telling  us  to  speak  good 
words  for  him,  we  were  all  led  to  the  depot,  in  waiting  for  a  train  for 
Charleston. 

There  had  been  but  little  confidence  placed  in  Wirz'  word,  still 
the  excitement  was  so  great  among  those  whose  names  were  enrolled, 
we  hardly  grew  hungry  or  ate,  though  carefully  drawing  all  the 
rations  doled  out.  It  was  well  they  were  kept,  as  none  were  issued 
to  us  when  we  left  or  until  night  when  Macon  was  reached,  where  one 
day's  rations  and  an  all  night  rest  was  given.  The  next  morning  we 
started  again  and  reached  Augusta,  where  another  rest,  but  no  rations 
was  given,  and  early  next  morning  we  arrived  in  Charleston.  The 
transports  with  prisoners  had  not  reached  the  harbor,  and  the  city 
was  being  shelled  for  fair.  A  large  shell  passing  over  the  city  drop- 


I  O4  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

ped  on  an  engine,  with  steam  up  and  just  ready  to  pull  out,  that 
exploding  just  at  the  proper  moment  and  in  conjunction  with  a  full 
head  of  steam  blew  engine,  engineer  and  fireman  into  a  hundred 
fragments,  and  killed,  wounded  and  scalded  several  in  the  depot. 
The  officer  in  charge  of  our  train  was  frightened  and  with  or  without 
orders  he  directed  the  engineer  of  our  train  to  pull  out  and  head  for 
Richmond. 

The  next  day,  September  30,  we  reached  Columbia,  S.  C.  Here 
we  were  given  a  long  rest  and  two  days'  rations.  We  were  permitted 
to  leave  the  train  and  wander  for  a  short  distance  into  the  city.  I 
thought  it  was  one  of  the  finest  places  I  ever  saw.  The  place  was 
old,  the  streets  well  cared  for,  and  shade  abundant.  It  looked  as 
though  the  scourge  of  war  had  visited  it  very  slightly,  if  at  all,  and 
showed  none  of  the  devastation  and  misery  a  visit  made  later,  revealed. 

With  two  days'  rations  we  were  again  started  northward,  arriving 
at  Greenboro,  N.  C.,  next  day,  October  i.  From  that  point  north 
east  to  Petersburg,  the  railroad  had  been  torn  up  by  Grant's  army, 
and  we  were  switched  off  on  a  new  line  toward  Danville,  Va.  The 
distance  was  but  48  miles,  but  it  required  a  whole  day  of  twenty-four 
hours  to  make  the  distance — slower  railroad  time  than  we  had  pre 
viously  required  on  a  pinch  for  the  same  distance  on  foot,  when  in 
good  marching  order.  It  was  reached  at  last,  however,  and  better 
time  was  promised  to  Richmond.  It  was  better,  still  we  did  not 
arrive  there  until  the  4th,  having  traveled  since  September  30,  on  two- 
days'  rations,  or  from  September  27,  on  three. 

That  we  were  hungry  and  faint,  goes  without  the  saying.  Indeed, 
a  few,  seven,  I  believe,  died  on  the  train  from  Andersonville,  literally 
starved  to  death. 

Life  in  Richmond  was  hard,  though  better  than  on  the  road,  and 
for  two  weeks  we  lived  a  life  of  fear  and  anxiety.  Ross,  the  infamous 
adjutant  of  General  Winder,  was  still  in  charge  of  the  prisoners  in 
and  about  the  city,  and  he  took  special  pains  every  day  to  tell  us  of 
the  waning  hopes  and  efforts  of  Grant's  army,  and  the  great  victories 
daily  won  by  the  Confederates,  and  to  those  he  recognized,  and  unfor 
tunately  I  was  one,  he  daily  swore  that  we  should  be  sent  south  by  the 
very  next  train.  Our  stay  there  was  caused  by  a  hitch  in  the  delivery, 
as  we  undoubtedly  should  have  been  delivered  to  the  Federal  authori 
ties  at  Charleston. 

Of  all  men  I  knew  in  the  South,   I  think  Ross  would  rather  lie 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  IO5 

for  nothing  than  tell  the  truth  for  good  wages.  He  never  admitted 
we  were  intended  for  parole,  and  even  up  to  the  evening  of  the  day 
before  we  left  Libby,  he  insisted  we  were  to  be  returned  south.  On 
the  1 8th,  however,  we  were  ordered  out  in  the  early  morning.  At 
first  our  direction  was  toward  the  depot,  but  we  soon  filed  off  down 
another  street  toward  a  steamer  plying  down  the  river,  and  were  soon 
on  our  way  down  the  James.  Colonel  Mulford  had  not  been  advised 
of  our  coming,  and  a  long  delay  of  hours  occurred  at  Aiken's  Land 
ing.  Colonel  Mulford  came  at  last,  however,  at  breakneck  speed, 
down  to  the  landing,  and  hurriedly  receipting  for  us,  we  were  marched 
ashore,  and  our  year  and  ten  days  of  imprisonment  was  ended. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE   WILDERNESS — ARMY    CROSSES    THE     RAPIDAN — CHARACTER     OF    THE 

COUNTRY  TRAVERSED SWINGING  ROUND  LEE's  RIGHT FIERCE  ATTACKS 

ON  THE  UNION    FLANK TWO    DAY'S    CONFLICT    IN    THE    WILDERNESS — A 

CONFEDERATE     GENERAL^     ACCOUNT     OF     THE     STRUGGLE DEATHS    OF 

GENERALS     HAYES    AND    WADSWORTH THE    ONE    HUNDRED    AND    TWEN 
TIETH'S     SHARE     IN    THE    BATTLE ITS    LOSSES BURNING    WOODS    PREY 

UPON  THE  WOUNDED. 

From  the  loth  of  October,  on  which  the  capture  by 
the  enemy  of  the  men  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twen 
tieth  took  place,  till  the  following  Spring,  no  events  of 
extraordinary  importance  occurred  in  the  experience  of 
the  regiment,  nor  indeed,  in  the  history  of  the  army. 
There  was  considerable  movement  and  manceuvering 
on  the  part  of  the  two  armies,  and  some  engagements 
between  the  opposing  cavalry  forces,  but  no  severe  bat 
tle.  An  assault  on  Lee's  forces,  intrenched  in  a  favora 
ble  position  behind  Mine  Run,  on  the  last  day  of 
November,  was  intended,  and  indeed,  ordered  by  Gen 
eral  Meade.  But  the  Confederate  position  was  so  strong 
and  formidable,  that  Warren,  in  command  of  one  wing, 
declined  to  give  the  order  he  had  received  to  attack. 
When  Meade  had  come  over  to  survey  the  enemy's 
position  at  Warren's  request,  he  agreed  with  the  latter's 
view,  that  an  attack  should  not  be  made,  and  it  was 
abandoned  accordingly,  much  to  the  relief  of  the  soldiers, 
who  had  stood  in  line  for  several  hours  in  readiness  to 
go  forward,  with  an  ordeal  like  that  at  Fredricksburg, 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

before  them.*  A  day  or  two  before,  however,  on  the 
27th  of  November,  a  brisk  attack  had  been  made  on  the 
Third  division  of  the  Third  Corps,  which,  in  the  advance, 
was  moving  forward  towards  the  enemy's  position.  In 
this  engagement,  which  lasted  but  a  short  time,  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twentieth  took  part,  losing  1 1  men,  three 
of  the  number  being  killed.  The  enemy  was  repulsed  ; 
the  division  resumed  its  march  and  united  with  the  main 
army  before  Mine  Run.  The  army  then  fell  back 
toward  the  Rapidan,  which  it  crossed  December  ist, 
and  on  the  2d,  reached  its  old  quarters  around  Brandy 
Station.  Winter  quarters  were  now  established,  and 
all  active  operations  ceased  for  some  months  to  come. 
When  the  spring  opened,  preparations  for  the 
approaching  campaign,  whose  purpose  was  a  stroke  at 

*  That  the  Union  soldiers  in  line  before  the  enemy's  entrenched 
position  at  Mine  Run,  waiting  the  order  to  attack,  had  Marye's 
Heights  before  them,  with  no  chance  of  success,  and  death  likely  in 
store  for  the  assailants,  appears  from  the  following  reference  to  this 
proposed  attack  taken  from  the  Comte  de  Paris'  History  of  the  War  : 
"Almost  all  have  witnessed  Fredericksburgh  and  Gettysburg  ;  they 
know  by  a  double  experience  that  a  bloody  defeat  is  reserved  to  the 
one  of  the  two  armies  which  takes  the  offensive  It  is  said  that  most 
of  them  on  the  morning  of  the  3oth,  took  care  to  pin  to  their  coats 
pieces  of  paper  bearing  their  names.  They  wished  that  their  names 
might  be  placed  over  the  fresh  earth  which  was  to  cover  them  in  their 
everlasting  sleep.  No  hope  of  glory  was  occupying  their  minds  at 
that  supreme  hour,  but  they  were  anxious  to  secure  on  that  distant 
soil  the  modest  epitaph  which  allows  the  soldier's  family  to  distin 
guish  his  remains,  instead  of  having  to  kneel  at  the  grave  of  the  un 
known.  It  was  in  this  manner  it  is  related,  that  they  silently  showed 
the  conviction,  that  they  were  going  to  be  asked  for  a  useless  sacri 
fice.  If  it  is  only  a  legend— for  legends  are  sometimes  easily  made 
— it  is  worth  being  quoted,  for  it  perfectly  describes  the  character  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac." — Vol.  Ill,  p.  810. 


IO8  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

the  heart  of  the  Confederacy,  were  pressed  forward  vig 
orously.  By  the  ist  of  May,  all  was  in  readiness  for 
the  expected  advance.  Orders  were  accordingly  issued 
on  the  2d  of  May,  1864,  for  the  movement  of  the  sev 
eral  corps  to  begin  on  the  4th  of  May,  preceded  by  the 
cavalry,  under  Sheridan,  which  began  its  march  at  mid 
night  of  the  3d,  crossing  the  Rapidan  in  advance  of  the 
infantry.  Five  bridges  had  been  thrown  over  the 
stream  at  Germanna  Ford,  Culpeper  Mine  Ford  and 
Ely's  Ford.  The  Second  Corps  crossed  at  Ely's  Ford  ; 
the  Fifth  and  Sixth  at  Germanna  Ford,  the  former 
moving  forward  to  Chancellorsville,  and  the  latter  to 
Wilderness  Tavern.  The  Fifth  Corps  reached  its  des 
ignated  halting-place  by  two  o'clock,  having  marched 
twenty  miles,  the  Second  Corps  having  arrived  at  Chan 
cellorsville  at  an  earlier  hour.  General  Grant  regarded 
the  safe  crossing  of  his  army,  with  its  immense  trains, 
and  his  first  day's  march  into  the  Wilderness,  as  a  very 
propitious  opening  of  the  campaign.  "  And  he  might 
well  feel  gratified  at  the  result,"  remarks  General  Humph 
reys,  "  for  it  was  a  good  day's  work,  in  such  a  country, 
for  so  large  an  army,  with  its  artillery  and  fighting 
trains,  to  march  twenty  miles,  crossing  a  river  on  five 
bridges  of  its  own  building,  without  a  single  mishap, 
interruption  or  delay." 

The  reference  to  "such  a  country,"  means  no  doubt, 
"  the  Wilderness,"  through  which  the  route  of  the  army 
lay,  and  in  which  the  first  battles  in  this  memorable 
campaign  were  fought.  This  is  one  of  the  names  which 
the  war  has  made  famous,  and  linked  to  this  "  Wilder 
ness,"  are  poignant  memories  of  toils  and  sufferings,  that 
words  are  feeble  to  express,  on  the  part  of  those  who 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

struggled  through  it,  encountering  foemen  at  every  step. 
The  tract  known  by  this  name,  stretches  south  of  the 
Rapidan  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  in  extent — is  covered 
with  a  dense  forest  growth  of  scrub  oak,  dwarf  pines 
and  other  varieties  of  wood  "  almost  impenetrable  by 
troops  in  line  of  battle,  where  manceuvering  was  an 
operation  of  extreme  difficulty  and  uncertainty.  The 
undergrowth  was  so  heavy  that  it  was  scarely  possible 
to  see  more  than  one  hundred  paces  in  any  direction. 
The  movements  of  the  enemy  could  not  be  observed 
until  the  lines  were  almost  in  collision.  Only  the  roar  of 
musketry  disclosed  the  position  of  the  combatants  to 
those  who  were  at  any  distance,  and  my  knowledge  of 
what  was  transpiring  on  the  field,  except  in  my  imme 
diate  presence,  was  limited,  and  was  necessarily  derived 
from  the  reports  of  subordinate  commanders."* 

Into  these  dreary  and  tangled  thickets  Grant  flung  his 
brave  battalions,  with  the  view  of  swinging  past  the 
right  of  Lee's  army,  which  lay  in  front  of  it  at  no  great 
distance,  watching  its  enemy's  operations  and  ready  to 
pounce  upon  him  at  the  first  opportunity.  The  attempt 
of  Grant  to  pass  the  Confederate  army  and  interpose 
between  it  and  Richmond,  was  sure  to  be  fiercely 
resisted.  Lee's  plan  was  to  strike  the  flank  of  the  Union 
army  with  his  whole  force  as  soon  as  practicable,  after 
the  former  had  crossed  the  Rapidan  and  entered  on  its 
march  southward.  From  Orange  Court  House,  where 
Lee's  headquarters  were,  two  roads  lead  toward  Fred- 
ericksburg.  They  run  in  the  direction  of  the  Rapidan, 
nearly  parallel  to  each  other,  the  one  nearest  the  river 
being  the  "  Old  turnpike,"  the  other,  the  "  Plank  road,"  a 

*  General  Hancock. 


I  I O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N,  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

short  distance  south  of  it.  The  route  of  the  Union  army 
lay  directly  across  these  roads  along  the  western  bor 
ders  of  the  wilderness.  Ewell's  Corps  began  to  move 
about  noon,  on  May  4th,  along  the  Orange  turnpike, 
while  A.  P.  Hill,  with  two  divisions,  moved  along  the 
Plank  road,  parallel  with  Ewell,  General  Longstret 
being  directed  to  bring  forward  his  corps  from  Gordons- 
ville  and  follow  rapidly  on  the  same  road.  Ewell  first 
struck  the  Union  column  while  it  was  crossing  the 
Orange  turnpike,  and  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness 
opened  with  this  attack. 

I  do  not  undertake  to  describe  this  battle  in  detail, 
but  design,  as  in  other  cases,  to  present  certain  outlines 
necessary  to  connect  the  work  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth  Regiment,  with  the  operations  of  the  army  of 
which  it  formed  a  part.  The  details  of  this  and  of  other 
great  battles  of  the  war,  are  given  in  the  histories 
specially  devoted  to  them,  and  the  plan  of  this  narrative, 
as  well  as  the  limits  assigned  to  it,  precludes  full  and 
extended  accounts  of  battle-fields.  I  hope  to  make  the 
general  features  of  these  sanguinary  encounters  clear  to 
the  reader  and  aim  at  doing  little  beyond  this  in  the 
descriptions  given. 

During  the  5th  and  6th  of  May,  the  battle  now  begun, 
raged  with  varying  success.  The  difficulties  of  this  war 
fare  in  the  woods,  were  immensely  trying,  and  at  times, 
bewildering.  Hill's  troops,  on  the  Plank  road,  soon 
struck  their  foes,  as  Ewell's  had  done  on  the  Orange 
turnpike,  and  impetuous  and  fierce  as  their  attack 
was,  the  resistance  they  met  with,  was  as  resolute  and 
unyielding.  The  troops  that  were  crossing  the  turnpike 
when  Ewell  assaulted  them,  belonged  to  Warren's  Fifth 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  I  I 

Corps,  and  these  bore  the  brunt  of  the  attack.  They 
were  joined  later  in  the  day  by  those  of  Sedgwick's 
Sixth  Corps,  who  together  maintained,  till  night  put  an 
end  to  the  conflict,  the  ground  they  held  against  the 
most  desperate  efforts  of  the  enemy.  On  the  morning 
of  the  next  day,  the  battle  was  resumed,  Longstreet, 
having  by  a  night  march,  come  up  to  the  support  of 
Hill,  and  putting  his  veteran  troops  at  once  into  the  hot 
test  of  the  fight.  Thus,  the  whole  of  Lee's  army  was 
engaged  in  the  struggle  to  arrest  the  advance  of  the 
Union  army  and  drive  it  back  bafflled  toward  the  Rapi- 
dan.  Hancock,  also,  had  joined  his  corps  with  those  of 
Warren  and  Sedgwick,  so  that  in  these  two  terrible 
days  of  conflict  in  the  Wilderness,  the  main  forces  of 
both  armies  were  arrayed  against  each  other.  The 
character  of  this  strange  battle  and  the  scenes  which  it 
presented,  are  well  set  forth  in  these  words  of  one  of 
the  Confederate  leaders  who  was  present : 

"  It  was  a  desperate  struggle  between  the  infantry  of  the  two  armies, 
on  a  field,  whose  physical  aspects  were  as  grim  and  forbidding  as  the 
struggle  itself.  It  was  a  battle  of  brigades  and  regiments,  rather  than 
that  of  corps  and  divisions.  Officers  could  not  see  the  whole  length 
of  their  commands,  and  could  only  tell  whether  the  troops  on  their 
right  and  left  were  driving  or  being  driven,  by  the  sound  of  the  firing. 
It  was  a  fight  at  close  quarters  too,  for  as  night  came  on  in  those 
tangled  thickets  of  stunted  pine,  sweet-gum,  scrub  oak  and  cedar,  the 
approach  of  the  opposing  lines  could  only  be  discerned  by  the  noise 
of  their  passage  through  the  underbrush,  or  the  flashing  of  their  guns. 
The  usually  silent  wilderness  had  suddenly  become  alive.  The  angry 
flashing  of  the  musketry  and  its  heavy  roar,  mingled  with  the  yells  of 
the  combatants  as  they  swayed  to  and  fro  in  the  gloomy  thickets, 
realized  to  the  full  the  poetic  battle  picture  of  'Beale'  an  Duine,' 

"  As  all  the  fiends  from  heaven  that  fell 
Had  pealed  the  banner  cry  of  hell." 


I  I  2  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

"  Death   was   busy   and  reaped  more  laurels  than  either  Lee  or 
•Grant.     General  Alexander  Hays,  of  Hancock's  Corps,  was  killed."* 

General  Hays  commanded  the  Second  brigade  of 
Birney's  division,  and  was  an  officer  of  distinguished 
gallantry,  whose  loss  was  a  serious  one  to  the  army. 
He  fell  on  the  first  day  of  the  battle.  On  the  second 
day,  the  6th,  General  James  S.  Wadsworth,  received  a 
mortal  wound  of  which  he  died  within  two  days.  He 
commanded  a  division  in  the  old  First  Corps,  and  ren 
dered  conspicuous  service  at  Chancellorsville  and  Get 
tysburg.  In  the  army  re-organization,  his  command 
was  the  Fourth  division  of  the  Fifth  Corps.  He  was 
one  of  the  most  heroic  figures  of  the  war,  brave  as  the 
bravest,  and  present  where  danger  most  threatened  and 
the  fight  was  the  hottest.  His  patriotism  was  devoted, 
and  in  his  love  for  the  Union  cause,  he  gladly  made  all 
sacrifices  of  wealth,  ease,  social  position,  and  the  supreme 
one  of  life  itself,  his  death  in  the  service  of  his  country, 
enshrining  his  name  among  those  who  loved  her  most 
and  served  her  best.  Among  the  losses  of  the  battle, 
Generals  Shaler  and  Seymour,  with  a  considerable  num 
ber  of  their  commands,  were  captured  near  the  close  of 
the  second  day,  in  an  unexpected  and  successful  attack 
made  upon  the  right  flank  of  the  Sixth  Corps.  The 
whole  loss  sustained  by  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in 
these  two  days  of  battle  in  the  Wilderness,  amounted, 
according  to  General  Humphreys,  to  2,265  killed, 
10,220  wounded  and  2,902  missing.  Total,  15,387. 
These  figures  show  the  severe  and  fearful  character  of 
this  battle,  and  in  the  extent  of  its  casualties,  rank  it 

*  General  E.  M.  Law,  in  June  CENTURY,  1887. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  I  3 

among  the  most  destructive,  though  not  to  us,  disastrous 
battles  of  the  war. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment,  whose 
history  in  connection  with  this  battle  must  now  be  sur 
veyed,  bore  a  direct  and  honorable  part  in  the  severe 
conflicts  of  these  two  days.  The  regiment  crossed  the 
Rapidan  at  early  morning  on  May  4th,  and  marched 
with  its  brigade  to  Chancellorsville,  encamping  for  the 
night  on  the  old  battle-field,  where,  a  year  before,  the 
Union  and  Confederate  hosts  had  met  and  struggled  for 
the  mastery.  The  men  had  painful  reminders  of  the 
havoc  wrought  by  the  battle,  in  seeing  the  bones  of  their 
fallen  comrades  scattered  over  the  field,  some  of  them 
protruding  from  the  shallow  graves  in  which  they  had  been 
hastily  interred.  They  saw  a  number  of  weather-beaten 
caps  lying  around,  on  several  of  which  was  inscribed, 
"  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  N.  Y.  V.,"  indicating  that 
the  wearers  had  belonged  to  their  own  regiment  and 
had  probably  died  near  that  spot,  defending  the  flag. 
These  relics  showed  the  kind  of  welcome  given  by  the 
Southern  soldiers  to  their  Union  visitors  the  former 
year,  and  reminded  the  latter  that  a  similar  welcome 
might  be  in  store  for  themselves,  within  a  few  hours. 
However  this  might  be,  they  were  ready  for  the  greet 
ing,  and  at  early  dawn  on  the  morning  of  the  5th,  their 
march  southward  was  resumed  and  continued  till  3  p.  M. 
Then  they  halted  along  the  Brock  road,  which  runs 
through  the  wilderness,  and  separated  by  several  hun 
dred  yards  from  Hill's  force,  then  engaged,  as  already 
noticed,  on  the  Plank  road.  Here  the  regiment  threw 
up  breastworks,  which  served  as  partial  protection 
against  sudden  assault,  or  the  enemy's  missiles,  and  were 

8 


114  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

a  means  of  defense  constantly  resorted  to  by  the  troops. 
This  work  was  barely  finished  when  the  hour  arrived 
for  the  regiment  to  take  part  in  the  action  in  progress. 
What  that  part  was,  will  appear  from  an  extract  from 
the  diary  : 

"  We  were  ordered  to  advance  over  our  breastworks  and  to  move 
forward  through  the  woods  and  thick  brush,  in  line  of  battle. .  We 
went  forward  in  this  way,  toiling  and  crashing  through  the  bushes  for 
perhaps  six  hundred  yards,  where  we  halted  near  a  small  stream.  An 
officer  in  United  States  uniform  came  riding  toward  us  from  the  front 
saying  that  we  were  supporting  a  line  of  our  own  troops  just  ahead, 
and  that  our  guns  should  not  be  loaded.  Thus  we  were  moving  for 
ward  through  the  woods  without  a  skirmish  line  in  front,  and  with 
unloaded  weapons,  when  suddenly  a  murderous  fire  of  musketry  was 
poured  into  the  ranks  by  an  unseen  foe.  We  at  once  commenced 
loading  and  firing,  some  of  us  taking  our  position  behind  the  large 
trees,  a  few  of  which  were  near,  or  lying  on  the  ground,  so  that  many 
of  the  enemy's  bullets  would  pass  over  our  heads.  In  this  position 
we  could  do  just  as  effective  work  as  standing  up.  Our  line  soon 
seemed  to  be  enveloped  in  fire  and  smoke.  The  air  was  filled  with 
minie-balls  which  were  tearing  among  bushes  and  trees,  riddling 
them  as  they  flew,  and  striking  down  men  who  fell  dead  or  wounded 
on  every  side.  There  Sergeant  James  Krom  was  shot  through  the 
body  and  fell  dead.  The  bullets  soon  began  to  come  from  our  left. 
Our  line  was  broken,  and  we  fell  back  toward  our  breastworks ;  con 
testing  the  ground  all  the  way.  We  rallied,  and  formed  a  line  behind 
the  works,  and  from  this  position  easily  checked  the  enemy's  advance. 
In  this  engagement,  Lieutenant  John  J.  Lockwood  was  killed.  At 
about  dark  we  were  relieved  from  the  front  line,  and  moved  back  to 
our  defenses.  Our  first  day's  battle  under  Grant  had  been  fought. 

At  an  early  hour  next  morning  we  were  again  placed  in  the  front 
line,  and  during  the  forenoon  advanced  over  the  same  ground  as 
yesterday.  The  battle  had  been  raging  along  different  portions  of 
the  line  at  our  right,  since  early  morning,  the  woods  resounding  with 
the  crash  of  musketry,  and  the  cheers  and  yells  of  the  Union  and  Con 
federate  forces.  The  Union  dead  lay  thick  on  the  ground  over  which 
we  advanced.  Shortly  after  we  crossed  the  small  stream,  suddenly 


ONE   HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  I  5 

there  was  a  loud  crash  in  our  front,  and  the  woods  were  again  filled 
with  the  messengers  of  death.  Captain  Krom  was  among  the  first  to 
fall,  severely  wounded.  Our  line  was  soon  broken  by  the  terrible 
fire,  and  we  again  fell  back  in  about  the  same  manner  as  the  day 
before,  and  formed  behind  the  breastworks,  and  again  checked  the 
enemy's  advance.  During  the  two  engagements,  the  regiment  lost  in 
killed,  wounded  and  missing,  61  men,  about  one  fifth  of  the  entire 
number  present  on  the  morning  of  May  5th.  Company  I  entered  the 
battle  with  18  men,  and  had  but  six  left  for  duty,  after  this  engage 
ment." 

According  to  this  account,  the  number  of  the  regi 
ment  could  not  much  have  exceeded  300  men  when  it 
crossed  the  Rapidan  on  its  march  southward.  Though 
their  ranks  had  grown  thinner,  their  hearts  had  become 
stouter  and  their  sinews  more  firmly  strung,  through 
experience  of  the  every  day  labors  exacted  of  soldiers 
in  the  field.  The  narrative  above  given  shows  the 
character  of  the  warfare  in  which  they  were  now  acting 
an  uncomplaining  part,  and  among  perils  and  hardships 
falling  to  the  soldiers'  lot,  none  could  well  be  greater 
than  those  encountered  in  the  battles  in  the  wilderness. 
Among  these,  not  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  extract, 
though  the  writer  speaks  of  it  in  his  record,  is  the  firing 
of  the  woods  by  cannon  or  musketry  during  the  battle, 
and  the  wounded  perishing  in  the  flames,  their  com 
rades  often  unable  to  reach  and  rescue  them.  Many 
helpless  wounded  died  horribly  in  this  way  in  the  wil 
derness,  as  they  did  also  at  Chancellorsville.  In  his  his 
tory  of  this  latter  battle,  General  Doubleday  says  : 
1  'The  woods  on  each  side  of  the  plank  road  had  been 
set  on  fire  by  the  artillery,  and  the  wounded  and  dying 
were  burning  in  the  flames  without  a  possibility  of  res 
cuing  them.  Let  us  draw  a  veil  over  this  scene,  for  it 


I  I  6  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

is  pitiful  to  dwell  upon  it."  We  echo  these  words  of 
the  gallant  Doubleday,  and  would  fain  shut  out  from 
view  those  tortures  of  comrades,  slowly  perishing  beyond 
reach  of  aid,  in  circumstances  so  appalling.  But  imagi 
nation  will  pierce  the  veil  and  picture  scenes  behind  it, 
too  dreadful  for  speech  adequately  to  describe.  And 
as  we  add  this  phase  of  suffering  to  others  endured  by 
the  brave,  self-denying  men,  who  dared  all  hazards  and 
bore  all  burdens  to  win  triumph  for  their  country,  the 
debt  which  that  country  saved  by  such  sacrifices,  owes 
to  them,  swells  into  a  magnitude  that  is  hardly  rep 
resented  by  the  warmest  words  of  appreciation  that  we 
can  utter! 


CHAPTER  XII. 

ADVANCE  TO  SPOTTSYLVANIA  COURT  HOUSE — DEATH  OF  GENERAL  SEDGWICK 
— SEVERE     ENGAGEMENTS     ON     THE     IOTH — MOVEMENTS    OF    THE    ONE 

HUNDRED    AND    TWENTIETH HANCOCK'S    BRILLIANT     ATTACK     ON     THE 

ENEMY'S  ENTRENCHMENTS  ON  THE    I2TH GENERAL    JOHNSON    AND    HIS 

DIVISION    CAPTURED — DESPERATE     FIGHTING     WITHIN     THE     SALIENT 

ACCOUNT  BY  A  CONFEDERATE  OFFICER A  UNION    OFFICER'S    ACCOUNT 

RESULT  OF  THE  CONFLICT. 

The  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  closed  without  the 
advantages  to  the  Confederates,  that  Lee  had  hoped 
to  secure.  His  object  in  attacking  on  the  5th  was,  to 
strike  the  head  of  Grant's  column  as  it  crossed  the 
Plank  road,  so  crushing-  a  blow  as  to  force  the  army 
back  on  its  tracks,  and  over  the  Rapidan,  thus  repeat 
ing  the  story  of  Chancellorsville.  He  failed  in  his 
design.  He  found  the  army  opposed  to  him,  led 
by  a  General  constituted  of ''sterner  stuff"  than  to  be 
turned  aside  from  the  object  he  meant  to  pursue,  by 
obstacles  that  courage,  energy  and  perseverance,  were 
able  to  surmount.  That  commander,  who  had  the  full 
est  confidence  of  his  army,  was  bent  on  reaching  Rich 
mond,  and  intended,  in  his  own  famous  words,  "  to 
fight  it  out  on  that  line,  if  it  took  all  summer."  Accord 
ingly,  he  resumed  his  southward  march,  as  soon  almost 
as  the  smoke  of  the  recent  battle  had  cleared  away. 
The  three  days  following  the  battle,  were  uneventful, 
the  several  corps  of  the  Union  Army  moving  in  the 
direction  of  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  where  the 
forces  of  the  enemy  were  concentrating,  to  oppose  with 


I  I  8  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

all  resources  at  their  command,  the  Union  advance. 
The  two  enemies  moved  on  paralled  lines  with  only  a 
short  interval  between  them,  the  possession  of  Spott- 
sylvania  being  the  objective  of  both.  The  strategic 
advantages  of  the  position  made  both  desirous  to  secure 
it,  and  each  put  forth  strenuous  efforts  to  arrive  first  and 
gain  the  desired  vantage-ground.  The  Confederates 
succeded  in  the  race.  Longstreet's  Corps  after  march 
ing  all  night  reached  Spottsylvania  at  eight  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  the  8th,  and  though  some  Union  troops, 
chiefly  cavalry,  in  advance  of  the  main  column  of  War 
ren,  were  found  at  the  Court  House  when  the  enemy 
arrived,  they  prudently  retired,  and  left  the  ground  to 
the  large  opposing  force. 

Longstreet's  Corps  now  commanded  by  R.  H.  Ander 
son,  was  soon  joined  by  Ewell's,  as  Warren's  Fifth 
Corps  which  had  the  advance,  was  joined  by  the  Sixth, 
under  Sedgvvick.  The  several  positions  they  held  were 
as  usual,  intrenched,  a  battle  on  this  ground  being  im 
minent  in  prospect,  and  in  fact,  unavoidable.  No 
engagement  took  place  on  the  gth,  the  day  being  occu 
pied  with  the  work  of  intrenching,  and  various  prepar 
ations  for  the  expected  encounter.  Though  not  much 
fighting  took  place  on  the  9th,  the  Union  army  sus 
tained  a  great  loss  that  day  in  the  death  of  General  Sedg- 
wick,  who  was  killed  by  a  sharp-shooter,  close  to  the 
intrenchments,  at  the  right  of  his  corps.  His  record 
was  high  as  a  gallant,  judicious  and  experienced  officer, 
whose  services  had  been  of  highest  value  to  the  Union, 
and  whose  frank  bearing  and  manly  qualities  greatly 
endeared  him  to  his  associates.  General  Wright  suc 
ceeded  him  in  command  of  the  corps. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  119 

On  the  loth,  severe  engagements  occurred  at  various 
points  in  our  lines,  from  early  in  the  day  till  late  in  the 
afternoon,  resulting  in  heavy  loss  of  life,  with  no  material 
advantage  gained  on  either  side.  Hancock's  Corps 
had  crossed  the  Po  early  in  the  morning,  threatening 
the  enemy's  rear,  and  his  army  trains.  The  movement 
was  resisted  by  Mahone's  and  Heth's  divisions,  with  so 
much  spirit  and  vehemence  that  Hancocks  advance  was 
not  only  checked,  but  his  troops  forced  to  re-cross  the 
river.  The  turning  movement,  as  first  designed,  was 
changed  into  a  front  attack  on  Longstreet's  and  Ewell's 
Corps,  the  purpose  being  to  break  through  the  enemy's 
lines.  These  several  attacks  were  made  during  the  day, 
the  last  near  sunset,  against  the  Confederate  intrench- 
ments,  and  though  these  attacks  were  marked  by 
wonderful  daring,  vigor  and  persistence,  the  very  works 
of  the  enemy  being  scaled  at  points,  and  three  or  four 
hundred  prisoners  captured,  of  Dole's  brigade,  the  Union 
troops  fell  back  at  last  to  their  own  lines,  without  having 
attained  their  object.  The  severity  of  the  several  con 
flicts  this  day  is  seen  in  the  losses  sustained,  which 
numbered  4,100  in  killed  and  wounded,  among  the  for 
mer  being  Brigadier  General  Rice,  of  the  Fifth  Corps, 
and  Stevenson,  of  Burnside's  Corps,  both  gallant  and 
meritorious  officers.  These  engagements,  on  the  loth, 
though  sharp  and  sanguinary,  were  only  preliminary  to 
those  of  the  i2th,  which,  for  fierce,  desperate,  hand- 
to-hand  fighting,  had  few  parallels  during  all  the  war. 
A  day  of  exemption  from  actual  conflict,  the  eleventh, 
separated  these  two  days  of  battle,  and  we  will  employ 
this  interval  in  tracing  the  fortunes  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twentieth  Regiment,  since  the  close  of  the  battle  of 
the  Wilderness. 


I  2O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

Till  the  afternoon  of  the  7th,  the  regiment  lay  quietly 
in  the  rear  of  the  corps,  the  frequent  firing  on  the  skir 
mish  line  telling  them  what  was  going  on  between  the 
advanced  pickets.  Then  they  were  marched  to  the 
right  and  placed  in  the  front,  behind  the  breastworks. 
Shortly  after  dark  a  loud  cheer  suddenly  uprose  on  the 
right,  and  was  taken  up  by  regiment  after  regiment,  as 
Generals  Grant  and  Meade,  with  their  staffs,  moved 
toward  the  left  in  the  direction  of  Spottsylvania  Court 
House.  Warren's  Fifth  Corps,  leading  the  advance, 
moved  past  shortly  afterwards,  followed,  on  the  morning 
of  the  8th,  by  the  Sixth  Corps.  The  regiment  marched 
the  same  day  with  the  Second  Corps,  about  four  miles 
to  the  vicinity  of  Todd's  tavern,  where  it  halted,  and  a 
detail  from  it  was  sent  out  on  picket.  The  booming  of 
cannon  from  the  direction  of  the  Court  House  announced 
that  Warren  and  Sedgwick  had  there  found  the  enemy. 
On  the  morning  of  the  Qth,  the  first  three  divisions  of 
the  Second  Corps  moved  forward,  and  took  position  on 
the  right  of  the  Fifth  Corps.  On  the  loth,  the  Fourth 
division,  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment, 
with  its  brigade,  being  in  the  advance,  moved  to  near 
SpottsylvaniaCourt  House,  its  position  being  about  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  north  of  the  famous  salient,  which  was 
the  theatre  of  the  tremendous  conflicts  of  the  I2th,  to 
be  presently  noticed.  The  division  was  on  the  left  of 
the  Sixth  Corps,  now  commanded  by  General  Wright. 
An  open  space  in  front  of  the  position  permitted  a  view 
of  the  enemy's  fortified  position,  which  the  Union  troops 
were  expecting  soon  to  charge.  At  four  p.  M.,  came  the 
order  to  advance,  and  the  troops  moved  forward  through 
a  tempest  of  shot  and  shell,  driving  back  the  enemy's 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  2  I 

skirmish  line,  approaching  nearer  their  works,  where 
musketry  aided  cannon  in  thinning  the  assaulting  ranks, 
making  the  operation  deadlier  and  less  promising  of 
success  at  every  step.  In  the  end  the  object  was  not 
attained,  and  the  troops,  for  the  time,  had  to  give  it  over 
and  fall  back  to  their  own  intrenchments. 

The  grand  attack  on  the  enemy's  works  was  made  on 
the  1 2th,  Grant's  order  directing  it,  being  issued  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  nth.  Hancock's  Second  Corps,  with 
Burnside's  Ninth  Corps  co-operating,  was  ordered  to 
open  the  assault  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  while 
the  Fifth  and  Sixth  Corps  were  to  be  held  as  close  to 
the  enemy  as  possible,  in  order  to  take  advantage  of 
any  opportunity  that  might  present  itself,  for  breaking 
into  the  enemy's  lines.  The  object  of  attack  was  a 
salient  or  projecting  angle,  situated  some  distance  in 
front  of  the  enemy's  main  intrenched  lines,  and  elevated 
somewhat  above  them.  The  apex  of  this  angle  was 
held  by  Johnson's  division,  who,  apprehending  an  attack, 
had  strengthened  his  position  in  every  way  possible, 
making  it,  in  fact,  a  very  formidable  one.  Barlow's  and 
Birney's  divisions  led  the  assault,  which  was  participated 
in  afterwards  by  the  divisions  of  Mott  and  Webb,  so 
that  Hancock's  whole  corps  was  really  engaged  in  the 
desperate  struggle  which  ensued,  for  the  possession  of 
the  salient.  The  first  attack  was  a  brilliant  success.  A 
heavy  fog  delayed  the  hour  of  attack  till  toward  five 
o'clock,  when  Birney's  troops,  with  Barlow's  and  Mott's 
in  close  support,  ascended  the  slope  toward  the  enemy's 
intrenchments,  burst  into  a  cheer  as  the  goal  rose  into 
view,  rushed  forward,  passed  through  the  abattis  and 
over  the  intrenchments,  fell  upon  Johnson's  troops  with 


122  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

such  suddenness  and  impetuous  force  that  they  captured 
nearly  the  whole  division,  about  4,000  men,  according 
to  Hancock,  including  General  Johnson  himself  and 
General  G.  H.  Stewart,  who  commanded  one  of  his 
brigades.  In  addition  to  this,  twenty  pieces  of  artillery, 
several  thousand  stands  of  arms,  and  upward  of  thirty 
colors,  were  the  trophies  of  this  brilliant  exploit* 

This  signal  success  was  achieved  before  six  in  the 
morning.  It  seemed  to  promise  similar  or  greater  suc 
cess,  as  rapidly  won,  for  the  rest  of  the  day,  and  then, 
the  apex  gained,  the  whole  angle  would  soon  fall  into 
our  hands.  The  result  disappointed  the  hope.  Through 
all  that  dreadful  day  the  most  terrific  conflict  of  the  war 
raged  within  the  confines  of  that  angle,  well  called  "the 
Bloody  Angle."  The  Confederates,  aware  how  much 
depended  on  keeping  their  general  line  whole,  tasked 
all  their  energies  to  maintain  it  against  the  powerful 
and  repeated  attempts  to  break  through.  The  enemy 
brought  up  their  choicest  troops  under  their  most  trusted 
leaders,  to  confront  the  Union  masses  that  were  bent 
on  completing  the  work  of  the  morning  by  seizing  and 
keeping  possession  of  the  enemy's  position.  So  the 
battle  swayed,  to  and  fro  at  different  sides  of  the  salient, 
all  day  long,  now  one  party,  then  another  gaining  some 
advantage,  only  to  lose  it  as  fresh  troops  were  thrown  in 
to  take  the  places  of  exhausted  ones.  To  describe  the 
struggle  in  detail,  and  the  detachments  of  troops  on  both 
side,  that  were  specially  engaged,  would  require  several 
pages  of  this  narative,  and  I  can  give,  for  reasons  before 
mentioned,  but  a  general  outline.  Perhaps  the  follow- 

*  Humphrey's  Virginia  Campaign  of  1864  and  1865. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  123 

ing  extract,  from  a  Confederate  officer's  account  of  the 
conflict,  in  which  he  bore  a  part,  will  give  as  distinct  an 
idea  of  the  murderous  strife  within  the  salient,  as  a  more 
lengthened  description  : 

"  The  Federals  still  held  the  greater  part  of  the  salient,  and  though 
the  Confederates  were  unable  to  drive  them  out,  they  could  get  no 
farther.  Hancock's  Corps  which  had  made  the  attack,  had  been 
re-enforced  by  Upton's  division  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  and  one  half  of 
Warren's  Corps  as  the  battle  progressed,  artillery  had  been  brought 
up  on  both  sides,  the  Confederates  using  every  piece  that  could  be 
made  available  upon  the  salient.  Before  ten  o'clock,  General  Lee 
has  put  in  every  man  that  could  be  spared,  for  the  restoration  of  his 
broken  centre.  It  then  became  a  matter  of  endurance  for  the  men 
themselves.  All  day  long,  and  far  into  the  night,  the  battle  raged 
with  unceasing  fury  in  the  space  covered  by  the  salient  and  the 
adjacent  works.  Every  attempt  to  advance  on  either  side  was  met, 
and  repelled  on  the  other.  The  hostile  battle  flags  waved  over  the 
different  portions  of  the  same  works,  while  the  men  fought  like  fiends 
for  their  possession.  It  was  '  war  to  the  knife,  and  the  knife  to  the 
hilt.'  The  very  mouth  of  hell  seemed  to  have  opened,  and  death  was 
rioting  in  its  sulphurous  fumes."* 

Lest  this  account  should  seem  too  highly  colored,  I 
will  supplement  it  with  a  Union  officer's  account,  Briga 
dier  General  L.  A.  Grant,  who  commanded  a  Vermont 
brigade  in  the  Second  Corps,  and  who  was  also  a  par 
ticipant  in  the  bloody  fray  : 

"  It  was  not  only  a  desperate  struggle,  but  it  was  literally  a  hand- 
to-hand  fight.  Nothing  but  piled  up  logs  or  breastworks  separated 
the  combatants.  Our  men  would  reach  over  the  logs  and  fire  in  the 
faces  of  the  enemy,  would  stab  over,  with  their  baynets.  Many  were 
shot  and  stabbed  through  the  crevices  and  holes  between  the  logs. 
Men  mounted  the  works,  and  with  muskets  rapidly  handed  them,  kept 

*  General  E.  M.  Law,  in  CENTURY,  June,  1887. 


124  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

up  a  continuous  fire  till  they  were  shot  down,  when  others  would 
take  their  place  and  continue  the  deadly  work.  Several  times  during 
the  day  the  rebels  would  show  a  white  flag  about  the  works,  and  when 
our  fire  slackened,  jump  over  and  surrender,  and  others  were  crowded 
down  to  fill  their  places.  *  *  *  It  was  there  that  the  somewhat 
elebrated  tree  was  cut  off  by  bullets,  *  *  *  there  that  the  brush 
and  logs  were  cut  to  pieces  and  whipped  into  basket  stuff,  *  *  * 
there  that  the  rebel  ditches  and  cross  sections  were  filled  with  dead 
men,  several  deep.  I  was  at  the  angle  next  day.  The  sight  was 
terrible  and  sickening,  much  worse  than  at  Bloody  Lane  (Antietam). 
There  a  great  many  dead  men  were  lying  in  the  road  and  across  the 
rails  of  the  torn  down  fences,  but  they  were  not  piled  up  several  deep, 
and  their  flesh  was  not  so  torn  and  mangled  as  at  the  '  angle.' " 

The  losses  of  this  terrible  day  were  in  full  proportion 
to  the  severity  and  long  continuance  of  the  conflict. 
The  killed  and  wounded  on  the  i2th,  including  those  of 
Burnside's  Ninth  Corps,  which  did  not  at  that  time  form 
part  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  amounted  to  6,020. 
In  addition,  there  were  800  missing,  making  the  whole 
loss  6,820.  The  Confederate  loss,  though  the  figures 
are  not  officially  given,  could  not  have  been  very  much 
less.  After  such  labors  and  such  mortality  and  havoc 
wrought  in  one  day,  a  period  of  cessation  from  hostilities 
would  seem  to  be  a  necessity,  and  such  accordingly 
ensued.  The  Confederates  withdrew  late  in  the  day,  to 
a  new  line  of  defenses  constructed  near  the  base  of  the 
salient  while  the  fight  was  yet  pending,  and  for  several 
days,  at  least,  the  noises  of  the  battle-field  ceased  to 
stun  the  ear. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE   ARMY   STILL   ADVANCING — THE  SOLDIERS*   TRIALS  BY   THE   WAY 

SPIRITS  ELASTIC  UNDER  ALL CROSSING  THE   PAMUNKEY   AND  NORTH 

ANNA — NEARING  THE  CHICKAHOMINY RECORD  OF  THE  ONE  HUNDRED 

AND  TWENTIETH APPROACH  TO  COLD  HARBOR AN  ATTACK  IN  FORCE 

ON  THE  ENEMY'S  WORKS — A  SANGUINARY  CONFLICT  AND  UNION  REPULSE 
GENERAL  LAW'S  ACCOUNT  OF  IT UNION  LOSSES  FROM  THE  WILDER 
NESS  TO  COLD  HARBOR REFLECTIONS. 

For  several  days  after  the  terrific  struggle  of  the  1 2th, 
narrated  in  the  last  chapter,  the  weaned  troops  enjoyed 
a  short  season  of  well-deserved  and  sorely-needed  rest. 
It  was  rest,  not  absolute,  but  as  compared  with  the  ten 
sion  of  nerves  and  hard-tasked  energies,  inseparable 
from  a  sternly  contested  field  of  battle.  The  time 
between  the  I2th  and  2Oth  of  May,  on  which  latter  day 
the  march  toward  the  South  was  resumed,  was  passed, 
not  in  ease  or  listlessness,  but  in  repairing,  as  far  as 
might  be,  the  heavy  damages  sustained  in  the  conflict 
and  in  getting  ready  for  the  serious  work  which  the  sol 
diers  of  the  army  well  knew  still  lay  before  them. 

Some  changes  were  made  by  the  consolidation  of 
regiments  and  brigades,  whose  ranks  had  dwindled 
through  battle,  sickness  or  expiration  of  term  of  enlist 
ment.  The  First  and  Second  brigades  of  General  Mott's 
Fourth  division,  were  consolidated  into  one  brigade 
known  as  the  Fourth  brigade  of  the  Third  division, 
commanded  by  General  D.  B.  Birney.  The  One  Hun 
dred  and  Twentieth  Regiment,  became,  by  this  change, 


126  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

enrolled  in  this  brigade,  as  thus  constituted,  the  soldiers 
of  which,  were  soon  to  share  in  all  the  activities  of  the 
pending  campaign. 

In  the  early  morning  of  the  I4th,  the  regiment,  with 
the  brigade,  was  ordered  to  take  position  at  the  front, 
where,  though  behind  entrenchments,  the  ear  was  con 
stantly  saluted  with  the  crack  of  musketry  from  picket 
and  skirmish  line,  with  the  cannon's  deep  basso,  striking 
in  from  time  to  time,  by  way  of  accompaniment.  These 
familiar  sounds  were  the  soldiers'  music  by  day  and 
their  lullaby  to  soothe  them  into  slumber  by  night.  The 
diary  we  have  drawn  from,  gives  the  following  pictures 
of  the  experience  of  the  soldiers  in  these  trying  days  : 

v<  We  were  kept  ever  on  the  alert  to  resist  any  attack  that  might 
be  made.  Every  day  since  May  5th — written  on  the  i6th — we  were 
more  or  less  under  the  enemy's  artillery  fire,  while  the  sound  of  sing 
ing  minies  rarely  ceased  to  fall  upon  our  ears,  and  the  dead  and 
wounded  in  a  steady  stream  were  borne  to  the  rear.  If  you  would 
know  of  the  hardships  of  those  times,  ask  not  the  officers  alone,  but 
the  men  who  carried  rifles  and  stood  in  the  front  of  our  fiery  lines, 
or  slept  in  the  rain  and  mud  behind  the  intrenchments.  The  memo 
ry  of  those  days  is  indelibly  stamped  on  our  minds,  yet  spite  of  all 
hardship  and  suffering,  the  army  was  in  fine  spirits  and  none  doubted 
our  ultimate  success." 

The  close  of  this  extract  is  significant,  as  showing  how 
animated  and  ardent  the  soldiers  continued  under  all 
the  burdens  laid  upon  them,  and  how  hopeful  and  con 
fident  they  felt,  that  the  trusted  leader  they  were  fol 
lowing  with  alacrity,  would  conduct  them  to  certain 
triumph,  though  the  road  to  it  might  be  long  and  the 
difficulties  to  be  overcome,  many  and  formidable. 
Indeed,  it  was  a  rare  thing  to  find  the  Union  soldier 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  2  J 

despondent,  or  ready  to  give  over  the  contest  in  despair. 
And  it  was  this  buoyancy  of  spirit,  pervading  the  ranks, 
growing  out  of  the  conviction  that  his  cause  was  right 
and  must  prevail,  that  gave  strength  to  his  blows, 
endurance  to  his  efforts,  and  was  the  pledge  of  final 
victory.  Thus,  at  the  close  of  some  bloody  day,  when 
the  troops  had  tasked  their  utmost  energies  to  carry 
some  strong  position  or  win  some  hard-contested  field 
and  had  failed — an  experience  so  familiar  to  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac — the  spirits  of  the  soldiers  remained 
elastic  ;  they  were  ready  and  anxious  to  try  the  fate  of 
battle  again,  and  by  renewed  and  stronger  efforts  to 
force  victory  to  decide  in  their  favor.  So  it  had  been 
almost  uniformly  in  the  campaigns  which  marked  the  past 
three  years  of  the  war,  and  so  it  proved  to  be  after  the  Rapi- 
dan  was  crossed  and  the  march  to  the  James  had  been 
entered  on,  during  which,  skirmishing,  bloody  collisions 
and  ''battle  alarums,"  were  an  almost  daily  experience. 
The  struggle  of  one  day  ended,  whether  favorable  or 
not,  the  Union  soldier,  not  disheartened,  was  ready  for 
another  struggle,  if  necessary,  on  the  next.  And  we 
find  this  hopeful,  buoyant  feeling  nerving  his  heart  and 
arm  during  all  the  trying  and  perilous  days  of  the  army's 
passage  through  the  Wilderness  and  southern  Virginia  to 
its  designated  position  on  the  banks  of  the  James. 

The  Union  army  began  its  forward  movement  on  the 
2Oth,  Hancock's  Corps  taking  the  lead,  the  route 
through  Bowling  Green,  being  in  the  direction  of  Han- 
overtown,  on  the  Pamunkey  river,  near  which  town,  the 
army  was  directed  to  cross.  The  several  corps  reached 
the  vicinity  of  the  Pamunkey  on  the  27th,  and  on  the 
28th,  the  crossing  of  the  river  was  accomplished.  War- 


I  28  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

ren's  Corps,  the  Fifth,  was  posted  with  its  right  on  the 
road  to  Richmond,  with  its  left  near  the  Totopotomy,  a 
small  stream  emptying  into  the  Pamunkey,  about  two 
miles  below  Hanovertown.  This  town  was  only  seven 
teen  miles  from  Richmond,  the  possession  of  which,  by 
the  Union  forces,  had  been  looked  upon  from  the  first,  as 
virtually  ending  the  war.  With  this  goal  in  view,  the 
most  strenuous,  though  hitherto  abortive,  efforts  had  been 
made  to  capture  the  Confederate  Capital.  And  now 
another  effort  was  in  progress  to  compass  the  same 
great  object,  and  the  country  was  watching  with  deepest 
anxiety  to  see  whether  success  or  another  failure  was  to 
attend  the  present  expedition.  Richmond  lay  within 
less  than  a  day's  march.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac 
was  again  near  the  famed  Chicahominy,  on  whose  banks 
the  fierce  battles  of  1862  had  been  unavailingly  fought. 
And  while  the  troops  were  inspired  to  heroic  deeds  by 
the  recollection  of  what  their  fellow-soldiers,  under 
McClellan,  had  braved  and  suffered  on  this  very  ground, 
they  were  sanguine  in  expecting  a  more  fortunate 
issue  than  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  former.  They  were 
unfaltering  in  the  purpose,  that  Richmond,  this  time, 
should  no  longer  evade  capture,  but  should  be  made  to 
own  the  might  and  majesty  of  a  government  she  had  so 
long  defied,  and  the  rebellion  thus  perish  with  the  over 
throw  of  its  citadel.  It  will  be  seen  presently,  how  fully 
these  confident  anticipations  came  to  be  fulfilled. 

But  the  road  to  the  triumph  was  neither  short  nor 
easy.  Months  were  to  intervene  before  the  end  was 
fairly  reached,  and  these  months  were  to  be  marked  by 
frequent  and  bitter  conflicts,  and  a  sturdy,  step  by  step, 
vanquishing  of  obstacles  that  lay  in  the  way  of  final 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  2  9 

victory.  But  the  army  was  adequate  to  the  work  it  had 
undertaken  to  do,  and  without  underestimating  its  mao-- 

o  t> 

nitude,  went  forward  with  single  purpose,  firm  step  and 
unswerving  constancy  to  accomplish  it. 

Its  first  collision  with  the  enemy  after  crossing  the 
Pamunkey,  was  near  the  Totopotomy  streamlet,  on  the 
south  side  of  which  Lee's  intrenched  lines  were  posted, 
to  bar  the  progress  of  the  Union  troops.  An  attack- 
was  made  on  their  lines  by  Barlow's  division,  in  the 
lead,  supported  by  Birney's  and  Gibbon's  divisions, 
Burnside's  Corps,  crossing  the  Tctopotomy  late  in  the 
day  and  forming  on  Hancock's  left.  Warren's  and 
Wright's  corps,  also  took  part  in  the  engagements  of 
the  2Qth  and  3Oth,  with  parts  of  Lee's  army,  the  whole 
of  which  lay  in  front,  prepared  to  contest  the  Union 
advance.  In  spite  of  this  array,  Grant's  army  urged  its 
way  inexorably,  swinging  round  the  enemy's  lines 
where  his  intrenched  positions  were  too  strong  to  break 
through  in  front,  and  compelling  the  Confederates  to 
fall  back  to  other  lines  and  construct  other  defenses. 
This  time,  Lee's  intrenched  position  was  at  Cold  Har 
bor,  near  the  theatre  of  McClellan's  battles,  and  almost 
in  sight  of  Richmond.  This  position,  for  reasons  deemed 
sufficient,  General  Grant  was  determined  to  assail,  with 
the  result  of  one  of  the  hardest-fought  and  bloodiest 
conflicts  of  this  whole  campaign,  so  marked  by  terrible 
fighting  almost  from  the  first  day  after  crossing  the 
Rapidan. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  had  its  full  share 
of  the  burdens  borne  every  day  by  the  whole  army,  in 
forcing  its  way,  in  spite  of  all  opposition,  into  the  heart 
of  the  enemy's  country.  Each  regiment  had  its  own 

9 


I  30  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

experience  of  exposure  to  danger,  of  toil,  hardship  and 
suffering,  and  the  history  of  one  day  was  virtually  a 
repetition,  in  its  main  features,  of  the  trying  days  pre 
ceding  it.  This  will  appear  from  the  carefully  written 
accounts  of  what  befell  the  regiment  for  several  days 
before  the  third  of  June,  on  which  the  assault  was  made 
on  Cold  Harbor.  On  May  28th,  the  regiment  was 
within  a  mile  of  the  North  Anna  river,  and  with  its 
brigade,  formed  in  line  of  battle,  with  an  open  field  in 
front,  stretching  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  crossed  by  a 
bridge,  at  that  point.  The  division  began  to  cross  the 
river  at  8  A.  M.  ;  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth 
crossing  in  the  afternoon,  shot  and  shell  flying  thickly 
around  them,  coming  from  the  heights  beyond,  held  by 
the  enemy.  After  dark  the  brigade  was  placed  in  the 
front  line.  A  member  of  the  regiment  gives  the  follow 
ing  account  of  the  experience  and  spirit  of  the  men  : 

"In  line  of  battle  across  the  North  Anna  river.  We  are  having  a 
rough  time.  I  reckon  the  world  never  heard  of  such  fighting.  Since 
May  5th  we  have  been  under  fire  of  the  enemy  nearly  every  day.  All 
confidence  is  placed  in  General  Grant,  and- all  earnestly  hope  for  suc 
cess.  We  are  working  night  and  day  building  line  after  line  of 
intrenchments.  Although  worn  with  fatigue,  the  men  cheerfully  obey 
every  order." 

On  the  29th,  the  regiment  advanced  two  miles  and 
another  line  of  works  was  thrown  up,  and  in  the  even 
ing,  another  advance  was  made  nearer  to  the  enemy's 
fortified  position.  This  move  was  in  support  of  Bar 
low's  division,  which  had  dislodged  the  enemy  from  his 
rifle-pits,  and  at  night,  a  detail  from  the  regiment  was 
placed  on  picket  duty,  the  enemy  all  the  while  being 
directly  in  front.  "  The  picket  lines  were  but  a  short 


ONE    HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  3  I 

distance  apart,  and  all  night,  and  on  the  3oth  and  3ist, 
the  outposts  kept  up  a  constant  firing,  while  every  now 
and  then,  a  furious  cannonading  would  commence  and 
continue  for  a  short  time  ;  and  sharpshooters  stationed 
on  the  surrounding  heights,  were  picking  off  the  men 
who  exposed  themselves.  During  these  days,  though 
we  were  not  in  any  heavy  engagement,  quite  a  number 
was  added  to  the  list  of  our  killed  and  wounded." 

The  attack  on  the  enemy's  position  at  Cold  Harbor, 
was  made  on  the  3d  of  June,  by  Barlow's  and  Gibbon's 
divisions  of  the  Second  Corps,  Birney's  division  sup 
porting  them,  the  three  divisions  forming  the  extreme 
left  of  the  Union  line.  Barlow's  movement  against  the 
enemy's  works  began  at  sunrise.  After  a  severe  strug 
gle,  he  succeeded  in  effecting  a  lodgement  in  the  hostile 
works,  and  in  pressing  back  the  enemy  into  their  main 
defenses,  capturing  some  300  prisoners,  one  stand  of 
colors  and  three  guns,  which  were  turned  against  the 
enemy  in  their  retreat.  But  this  encouraging  success 
was  only  short-lived,  for  our  troops  were  soon  subjected 
to  a  sharp  enfilading  fire  of  artillery,  which  forced  them 
to  fall  back  about  fifty  paces,  where  they  threw  up  slight 
intrenchments  that  gave  them  partial  protection.  Gib 
bon's  division,  following  Barlow's,  fared  no  better, 
though  his  troops  pushing  close  up  to  the  enemy's 
works,  carried  on  the  contest  with  the  utmost  gallantry. 
They  were  forced  back,  as  the  others  had  been,  after 
the  most  strenuous  efforts  made  to  hold  their  ground, 
suffering  severely,  both  in  officers  and  men.  The  loss 
of  both  divisions  this  day  in  killed  and  wounded, 
amounted  to  2,217  officers  and  men.  The  losses  suf 
fered  by  the  other  two  corps,  the  Fifth  and  Sixth,  and 


132  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

Burnside's  troops,  were  also  severe.  The  Eighteenth 
Corps,  under  General  W.  F.  Smith,  which  had  recently 
come  from  the  Army  of  the  James,  and  had  now  joined 
the  Potomac  army,  was  heavily  engaged  in  this  battle. 
The  losses  of  this  corps  in  killed  and  wounded,  was 
about  i  ,000  men  ;  The  Sixth  Corps  lost  800  ;  the  Fifth, 
400,  and  Burnside's  Ninth  Corps,  about  800.  The  total 
casualties,  including  killed,  wounded  and  missing,  result 
ing  from  the  engagements  of  the  first  and  third  of  June, 
at  Cold  Harbor,  according  to  General  Humphrey's 
estimates,  were  1 2 ,97 o.*  This  shows  the  fearful  severity 
of  the  fighting  in  those  early  days  of  June.  General 
Law's  account  of  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  in  the 
CENTURY  MAGAZINE,  for  June,  1887,  presents  a  stirring 
picture  of  the  assault  and  repulse  of  Smith's  Eighteenth 
Corps,  in  the  center  of  the  Union  line.  It  may  be  too 
highly  colored,  as  Confederate  accounts,  treating  of 
Union  losses  in  battle,  are  apt  to  be,  but  as  the  account 
of  an  eye-witness  and  actor  in  the  bloody  drama  he 
undertakes  to  describe,  there  should  be,  as  there  no 
doubt  is,  substantial  truth  in  his  statements  : 

"  Meanwhile  the  enemy  was  evidently  concentrating  in  the  woods 
in  front,  and  every  indication  pointed  to  an  early  attack.  Nothing 
could  be  done  upon  the  contemplated  line  during  the  day,  and  we 
waited  anxiously  the  coming  of  night.  The  day  passed  (the  2d  of 
June)  without  an  attack.  I  was  as  well  satisfied  that  it  would  come 
at  dawn  the  next  morning  as  if  I  had  seen  General  Meade's  order 
directing  it.  *  *  *  *  Our  troops  were  under  arms  and  waiting, 
when,  with  the  misty  light  of  early  morning,  the  scattering  fire  of  our 
pickets,  who  now  occupied  the  abandoned  works  in  the  angle, 
announced  the  beginning  of  the  attack.  As  the  assaulting  column 
swept  over  the  old  works,  a  loud  cheer  was  given,  and  it  rushed  on 

*  Humphrey's  "Virginia  Campaign  of '64  and  '65,  p.  191. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  3  3 

into  the  miry  ground  in  the  angle.     Its  front  covered  little  more  than 
the  line  of  my  own  brigade  of  less  than  a  thousand  men  ;  but  line 
followed  line,   until  the  space  enclosed  by  the  old  salient  became  a 
mass  of  writhing  humanity,  upon  which  our  artillery  and  musketry 
played  with  cruel  effect.     *     *     *     On  reaching  the  trenches,  I  found 
the  men  in  fine  spirits,   laughing  and  talking  as  they  fired.     There, 
too,  I  could  see  more  plainly  the  terrible  havoc  made  in  the  ranks  of 
the  assaulting  column.      I  had  seen  the  dreadful  carnage  in  front  of 
Marye's  Hill,  at  Fredericksburg,  and  on  the  '  old  railroad  cut,'  which 
Jackson's  men  held  at  the  Second  Manassas,  but  I  had  seen  nothing 
to  exceed  this.     It  was  not  war ;  it  was  murder.     When  the  fight 
ended,   more  than  a  thousand  men  lay  in  front  of  our  works,  either 
killed  or  too  badly  wounded  to  leave  the  field.     While  we  were  busy 
with  the  Eighteenth  Corps  on  the  center  of  the  general  line,  the  sounds 
of  battle  could  be  heard  both  on  the  right  and  left,   and  we  knew 
from  long  use  what  that  meant.      It  was  general  a  advance  of  Grant's 
whole  army.     Early's  Corps,   below  Bethesda  church,   was  attacked 
without  success.     On  our  right,  where  the  line  extended  toward  the 
Chickahominy,  it  was  broken  at  one  point,  but  at  once  restored  by 
Finnegan's  (Florida)  brigade,   with  heavy  loss  to  Hancock's  troops, 
who  were  attacking  there.     The  result  of  the  action  in  the  centre, 
which  has  been  described,  presents  a  fair  picture  of  the  result  along 
the  whole  line — a  grand  advance,  a  desperate  struggle,  a  bloody  and 
crushing  repulse.     Before    8  o'clock  A.  M.,   on  the  $d  of  June,  the 
battle  of  Cold  Harbor  was  over. " 

The  battle  of  Cold  Harbor  virtually  ended  the  "  over 
land  campaign/'  and  no  more  severe  fighting  marked 
the  progress  of  the  Union  army  to  the  James  river, 
which  it  was  soon  to  cross.  The  campaign,  thus  far, 
had  lasted  but  a  month,  and  almost  every  day  had  been 
one  of  conflict,  several  of  which,  had  risen  into  the 
dimensions  of  great  battles  with  the  sacrifice  and  havoc 
necessarily  attendant  upon  them.  From  the  Wilder 
ness  to  Cold  Harbor,  according  to  revised  tables  pre 
pared  by  reliable  authority,  the  total  losses  of  the  Union 
army  in  killed,  wounded  and  missing,  amounted  to 


134  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

54,929,  a  figure  that  represents  alone  a  numerous  and 
powerful  army  in  the  field.  Had  success  in  the  end  not 
crowned  the  great  efforts  and  sacrifices  of  the  Union 
army,  the  country  would  have  shown  little  mercy 
in  its  criticism  and  denunciation  of  the  General  com 
manding,  through  whom  those  sacrifices  were  made. 
But  the  complete  success,  which  was  to  come,  and  did 
come,  made  all  the  difference  in  the  world  in  the  senti 
ments  of  the  people  toward  the  great  leader  who 
attained  the  object  for  which  all  loyal  hearts  were  yearn 
ing.  In  the  glory  of  the  achievement  and  the  universal 
joy  it  occasioned,  all  harsh  voices  were  hushed,  and 
only  those  heard  which  extolled  the  Captain  of  the 
host,  who  succeeded,  where  others  had  failed,  and  his 
gallant  soldiers,  without  whose  self-sacrificing  labors, 
there  had  been  no  triumph  to  record. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  UNION  ARMY  NEAR  THE  CHICAHOMINY — DISCOMFORTS  AND  SUFFERINGS 
OF   THE   TROOPS — SUCCESSFUL   CROSSING   OF  THE  JAMES  RIVER — THE 

ADVANCE   TO   PETERSBURG INVESTMENT  OF  THE  CITY ASSAULTS  ON 

THE    ENEMY'S    INTRENCHED    LINES — LEE    STRENGTHENS    THE    CITY'S 

DEFENSIVE  FORCE HARDSHIPS  AND  PERILS  OF  THE  SOLDIERS  BESIEGING 

A  DESCRIPTION,  BY  ONE  OF  THE  NUMBER ABORTIVE  MINE  EXPLOSION. 

From  the  third  of  June,  the  day  after  the  last  battle 
at  Cold  Harbor,  till  the  i4th,  on  which  latter  day,  the 
One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  crossed  the  James  river 
no  events  occurred  out  of  the  usual  round  of  army 
experiences.  Guard  and  picket  duties,  with  occasional 
short  marches  by  day,  with  now  and  then  a  nightly 
bivouac  under  a  summer  sky,  occupied  the  interval. 
The  two  armies  being  close  together,  the  work  of  the 
sharpshooters  was  naturally  kept  up  pretty  actively  at 
times,  resulting  in  some  casualties  on  either  side. 
Though  the  brigade  to  which  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth  belonged,  was  in  the  second  line  at  Cold 
Harbor,  and  thus  escaped  much  damage  in  that  destruct 
ive  battle,  its  losses  from  daily  exposure  and  hardship 
were  large,  sickness  as  well  as  the  bullet  adding  to  the 
chasms  made  in  the  ranks  since  the  campaign  opened. 
One  of  the  regiment,  putting  down  his  experiences 
shortly  after  Cold  Harbor,  writes  : 

"All  day  there  has  been  heavy  artillery  firing,  and  the  shot  and 
shell  tearing  through  the  air,  or  lodging  in  the  trunks  of  large  trees 
standing  near,  are  constant  reminders  that  a  hostile  army  is  just 


IS  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

before  us.  The  sharpshooters  of  both  armies  are  continually  at 
work,  and  wherever  a  head  comes  in  sight  it  at  once  becomes  a  tar 
get.  Quite  a  number  of  officers  and  men  in  the  different  corps  were 
the  victims  of  this  day's  work.  As  we  looked  back  over  the  past 
month,  crowded  with  great  events,  and  thought  of  the  many  dangers 
through  which  a  kind  Providence  had  brought  us  safely,  so  many 
being  taken  while  we  were  left,  we  could  not  but  feel  deeply  thankful 
for  our  preservation.  Our  regiment  had  borne  its  part  nobly,  every 
man  seeming  to  feel  what  duty  he  owed  to  his  country  and  his  God, 
and  to  conduct  himself  accordingly.  We  are  now  near  the  sickly 
swamps  of  the  Chicahominy,  where  the  army  of  General  McClellan, 
two  years  ago,  had  its  repeated  encounters  with  the  enemy.  The 
rays  of  the  sun  poured  down  upon  us  with  unsparing  fierceness,  the 
water  was  poor,  and  sickness  began  to  tell  upon  our  ranks,  as  battle 
had  done.  The  rebel  army  lay  between  us  and  their  capital,  now 
only  nine  miles  distant." 

That  army  lying  between  the  Union  forces  and  Rich 
mond,  proved  a  stubborn  obstruction  to  the  capture  of 
the  capital,  the  sound  of  whose  church  bells  almost 
reached  the  combatants,  so  near  was  their  approach  to 
it.  It  might  be  disappointing  to  many  to  have  a  speedy 
assault  and  the  hoped-for  capture  delayed,  and  to  see 
the  army  turn  its  back  upon  Richmond  when  the  prize 
seemed  almost  within  its  grasp.  But  the  plan  deliber 
ately  fixed  upon  was,  to  get  farther  away  from  the  capi 
tal  first,  and  then  in  due  time,  by  gradual  approaches,  to 
get  within  it,  through  the  weakening  and  dispersion  of 
the  army  which  had  so  long  guarded  but  would  be  no 
longer  able  to  save  it.  This  plan  involved  the  crossing 
of  the  James  river,  preparations  for  which  went  forward 
rapidly  after  the  Cold  Harbor  conflict,  the  object  being 
to  destroy  the  lines  of  supply  leading  to  Richmond*, 
south  of  the  river,  and  as  close  to  the  city  as  practicable, 
to  capture  Petersburg,  sever  all  railroad  communication 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  3  7 

with  the  Confederate  capital,  which  Lee's  army  must 
then  of  necessity  abandon. 

The  crossing  of  the  James  river,  with  an  opposing 
army  within  gunshot,  watching  every  opportunity  to 
obstruct  the  progress  of  the  invading  enemy,  was  a  deli 
cate  and  difficult  operation.  It  was  necessary  to  con 
ceal  the  movements  of  the  Union  army  as  much  as 
possible,  and  especially  the  point  at  which  it  was 
designed  to  cross,  and  this  was  done  so  effectually,  that 
the  passage  of  the  river  was  accomplished  without 
molestation  or  mishap.  The  preparations  for  the  move 
ment  of  the  army  to  the  James  river,  and  for  crossing  it, 
were  so  carefully  and  skilfully  made,  that  the  several 
corps,  each  in  the  order  marked  out,  traversed  the 
distance  between  Cold  Harbor  and  the  James,  without 
interruption.  Crossing  the  Chicahominy  by  the  several 
bridges  designated,  and  passing  through  the  swamps 
that  separated  it  from  the  James,  they  reached  the  banks 
of  the  river  between  the  I3th  and  i5th,  Hancock's 
Corps  arriving  on  the  former  day.  This  corps  crossed 
the  river  on  the  I4th,  a  part  on  pontoons,  but  mostly 
in  vessels,  furnished  largely  by  General  Butler,  then  at 
Bermuda  Hundred.  The  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth, 
which  formed  part  of  the  Second  Corps,  was  surprised 
and  delighted  to  see  among  the  vessels  there,  the 
Thomas  Powell,  of  Rondout,  which  seemed  to  the  sol 
diers  like  the  face  of  an  old  friend,  bringing  strong 
reminders  of  home.  The  point  of  crossing  was  from 
Wilcox's  Landing,  to  Windmill  Point,  the  river  here 
being  2,100  feet  wide,  and  in  mid-channel,  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  fathoms  deep,  with  a  strong  tidal  current,  all 
of  which  would  seem  to  forbid  the  construction  of  a 


I  3  O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

pontoon  bridge.  Such  bridge,  however,  was  actually  in 
progress  for  the  passage  of  the  other  corps,  and  was  fin 
ished  at  midnight  of  the  i4th.  The  crossing  at  once 
commenced  of  the  Ninth,  Fifth  and  Sixth  corps,  and  by 
midnight  of  the  i6th,  the  whole  army,  with  its  artillery 
and  trains,  was  over  the  James,  General  Wright  cover 
ing  the  operation  and  being  the  last  to  reach  the  right 
bank.*  This  movement,  so  successfully  made,  proved 
to  be  one  of  the  highest  importance  in  its  results,  was 
in  fact,  a  long  step  forward  in  the  road  that  led  to  the 
downfall  and  ruin  of  the  Confederate  cause. 

On  the  morning  of  the  i5th  of  June,  the  Second 
Corps  started  on  its  march  toward  Petersburg,  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment,  with  its  brigade, 
falling  into  line  about  1 1:30  A.  M.,  and  marching  rapidly 
a  distance  of  twenty  miles,  arrived  at  nightfall  within 
three  miles  of  the  city.  The  tents  were  pitched  for  the 
night,  the  brigade  occupying  the  front  line  among  the 
Union  troops  intrenched  before  Petersburg  and  about 
to  have  their  first  experience  of  besieging  a  strongly 
fortified  town.  Heavy  lines  of  breastworks  stretched 
from  the  'Appomattox  river,  round  the  eastern  and 
southern  sides  of  the  city,  and  behind  these  extended 
and  strong  defenses,  were  battalions  of  Lee's  veterans, 
ready  to  hold  their  ground  against  all  assailants,  or  to 
sally  iorth,  as  opportunity  might  offer,  and  grapple  with 
their  enemy  in  the  open  field. 

The  number  of  Confederate  troops  in  the  fortifications 
at  Petersburg,  was  small  when  the  advance  of  the 
Union  army  arrived  before  the  city.  It  hardly  exceeded 
2,5oo  men.  Lee's  main  force  was  held  for  the  pro- 

*  Humphrey's  Virginia  Campaign. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  39 

tection  of  Richmond,  which  place  he  supposed  General 
Grant  intended  first  of  all  to  assail.  General  Beaure- 
gard,  on  the  other  hand,  rightly  divining  that  Peters 
burg  would  be  the  main  point  of  attack  to  the  Union 
army,  urged  General  Lee  to  send  troops  enough  to 
defend  it,  while  he  held  his  own  lines  in  front  of  Gen 
eral  Butler.  This  request  Lee  did  not  at  once  comply 
with  for  the  reason  stated,  and  hence  Petersburg  was 
left  for  a  time,  with  very  inadequate  numbers  for  its 
proper  protection,  inviting,  in  fact,  the  assaults  which 
soon  followed  the  appearance  of  the  Union  army  before 
the  city.  Had  these  assaults  been  made  more  promptly, 
and  with  more  concert  on  the  part  of  Hancock's  and 
Smith's  corps,  they  would  have  resulted,  most  probably, 
in  the  capture  of  Petersburg,  with  all  the  advantages 
resulting  from  its  posession,  to  the  Union  arms.  As  it 
was,  the  assaults  were  made  with  great  resolution  and 
gallantry,  and  with  marked  success,  so  far  as  the  cap 
ture  of  redans,  with  many  prisoners,  was  concerned. 
The  Petersburg  intrenchments  encircled  the  city  at  the 
distance  of  two  miles  from  it,  and  these  consisted  of  a 
series  of  strong  batteries  connected  by  infantry  parapets, 
with  ditches  in  front.  Several  of  these  redans  or  bat 
teries,  were  carried  by  Smith's  vigorous  attacks  upon 
them,  and  the  enemy  driven  to  positions  nearer  the 
city.  Other  assaults  were  made  on  the  morning  of  the 
1 8th,  by  the  Fifth,  Ninth  and  Second  corps,  but  no 
material  advantages  were  gained,  as  the  enemy  had  now 
become  largely  re-enforced,  besides  pressing  closer  up 
to  the  adversary's  lines,  the  ground  taken  there  being 
at  once  intrenched.  These  positions,  the  two  opposing 
lines  continued  substantially  to  hold,  during  all  the 
months  the  war  lasted. 


I  4O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

The  attacks  on  Petersburg,  from  the  i5th  to  the  i8th 
of  June,  inclusive,  though  they  failed  in  their  main  object, 
were  attended  with  severe  Union  losses,  the  number  in 
killed  and  wounded  in  the  Second,  Fifth  and  Ninth 
corps,  amounting  to  7,450.  Though  the  troops  were 
exempted,  after  Cold  Harbor,  from  the  casualties  pro 
duced  by  a  pitched  battle,  their  experience  before 
Petersburg  served  to  show,  that  a  siege  may  be  almost 
as  fatal  to  life  and  limb  as  a  battle! 

When  the  several  corps  of  the  Union  army  had  taken 
their  positions  before  and  around  Petersburg  and  Rich 
mond,  the  fate  of  these  two  cities  became  the. absorbing 

o 

question  of  interest  among  all  classes.  The  capture  of 
the  former,  involved  that  of  the  latter,  and  the  fall  of  both, 
was  well  understood  to  mean  the  end  of  the  struo-o-le 

oo 

for  the  Confederates.  Petersburg  once  taken,  Rich 
mond's  defense  could  not  long  be  maintained  with  all 
communications  from  the  South  and  West  cut  off,  and 
therefore,  the  earnest  and  persistent  efforts  made  to  cap 
ture  Petersburg,  as  leading  inevitably  to  the  final 
triumph  of  the  Union  arms. 

Well  knowing  the  vital  importance  of  holding  Peters 
burg,  General  Lee  had  strengthened  it  by  concentrating 
there  all  the  troops  he  could  possibly  spare  from  his 
lines  around  Richmond.  The  city  thus  became  very 
formidable  in  its  defenses,  and  proved  able  to  withstand 
for  many  months,  the  utmost  efforts  of  the  investing 
forces.  Lee's  army,  indeed,  was  held  as  in  a  vice,  all 
its  energies  being  absorbed  in  the  one  great  object  of 
saving  Richmond  from  falling  into  the  clutches  of  the 
enemy.  Thus  the  months  of  the  summer  and  autumn, 
and  the  winter  following,  slowly  passed,  one  by  one, 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y,  S.  l-'OLS.      I  4  I 

in  efforts  made  by  the  Northern  army  to  break  down 
the  defenses  which  obstructed  their  entrance  into  these 
cities,  and  by  the  other,  to  foil  all  attempts  made  against 
them.  The  details  of  the  movements  and  operations  to 
compass  these  ends,  were  varied  and  some  of  them 
striking  and  picturesque.  We  can  do  no  more,  how 
ever,  than  glance  at  these,  or  dwell  upon  them  only  so 
far  as  is  necessary  to  the  proper  illustration  of  the  sub 
ject  of  this  narrative. 

To  the  troops  in  intrenchments  before  a  beleaguered 
city,  which  has  strength  to  baffle  for  many  months,  all 
efforts  to  take  it,  there  must  be  much  monotony  in  the 
service  rendered,  day  by  clay.  Short  marches  from  one 
position  to  another — the  occasional  shifting  of  positions 
and  the  throwing  up  of  new  intrenchments  ;  the  digging 
of  wells  for  providing  a  supply  of  water  ;  guard  and 
picket  duty,  performed  with  never  failing  regularity  ;  an 
occasional  assault  made  on  some  exposed  point  in  the 
enemy's  defenses,  or  a  sortie  of  the  besieged,  needing 
to  be  met  and  repelled — these  are  among  the  daily 
experiences  of  soldiers  engaged  in  a  long  siege,  such  as 
that  of  Petersburg.  Some  of  these  experiences  have  an 
interest  of  their  own,  marked  as  they  often  were,  by 
incidents  of  personal  adventure,  suffering;  and  patient 
endurance  on  the  part  of  the  soldiers,  who,  lying  within 
striking  distance  of  the  guns  of  the  enemy,  were  hardly 
at  any  time,  out  of  danger  of  being  struck  down  by  shot 
or  shell.  But  the  men  gre\v  indifferent  to  personal 
risks  by  being  constantly  exposed  to  them,  and  per 
formed  their  daily  tasks  without  heeding  the  perils 
which  lay  in  wait  for  them  on  every  side.  The  One 
Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment  had  its  own  share 


142  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

of  these  perils,  and  the  record  of  what  it  did  and  suffered 
during  the  months  preceding-  the  fall  of  Richmond, 
would,  if  it  were  spread  out  in  detail,  show  it  well 
entitled  to  an  honorable  place  among  the  battalions 
that  served  the  country  most  faithfully.  A  few  extracts 
from  this  record,  written  by  the  trustworthy  pen,  whose 
aid  has  so  many  times  been  resorted  to,  will  set  forth 
some  of  the  doings  and  experiences  of  his  comrades  of 
the  regiment,  for  a  part  of  the  period  mentioned.  These 
extracts,  drawn  from  a  carefully  kept  record  of  each 
day's  operations  and  field  services,  will  give  an  idea  of 
the  character  and  requirements  of  the  work  which 
devolved  upon  the  troops  while  the  siege  of  Petersburg 
was  in  progress  : 


July  i  Qth.  "  We  were  quiet  in  our  works,  while  the  skirmishers  in 
front,  kept  up  a  constant  firing." 

July  20th.  "Bullets  are  singing  over  our  heads  or  striking  the 
works  behind  which  we  are  safely  sheltered,  all  day.  There  has 
been  heavy  skirmishing  since  daylight.  After  dark,  we  were  relieved 
by  a  portion  of  Burnside's  Ninth  Corps,  and  we  marched  nearly  all 
night." 

July  22d.  "This  morning  we  moved  into  the  front  line  of  works. 
Barlow's  division  moved  over  them  to  establish  a  new  line,  but  were 
soon  assailed  by  a  superior  force  of  the  enemy,  and  hurled  back, 
losing  four  guns  and  over  a  thousand  prisoners." 

July  23d.  "The  regiment  remained  quietly  behind  the  breast 
works  all  day,  a  large  detail  being  on  the  skirmish  line.  The  term 
of  enlistment  of  two  regiments  of  our  brigade  had  expired,  and  the 
recruits  and  veterans  of  one  of  them,  the  Seventy-second  N.  Y.,  were 
transferred  to  our  regiment.  Some  of  our  boys  who  were  on  the 
skirmish  line,  will  remember  how  they  saw  Colonel  William  Blais- 
dell,  of  the  Eleventh  Massachusetts,  killed,  while  trying  to  advance 
our  skirmishers  under  a  galling  fire  from  the  enemy's  pickets  and 
sharpshooters." 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  143 

The  regiment  had  been  without  a  chaplain  for  several 
months,  the  Rev.  F.  Hartwell,  having  resigned,  the 
previous  winter.  On  the  9th  of  June,  a  new  chaplain 
joined  the  regiment,  in  the  person  of  Rev.  H.  H. 
Hopkins,  a  son  of  Dr.  Mark  Hopkins,  for  many  years  the 
honored  president  of  Williams  College,  a  young  man  of 
high  character  and  gifts,  and  full  of  ardor,  both  patriotic 
and  religious.  He  readily  identified  himself  with  all  the 
interests  of  the  regiment,  cheerfully  sharing  the  hard 
ships  and  clangers  of  the  men,  to  whose  bodily,  not  less 
than  spiritual  needs,  he  sedulously  ministered,  and  soon 
winning  a  high  place  in  their  esteem,  confidence  and 
affection.  In  the  following  extract,  reference  is  made  to 
him  and  to  a  service  he  conducted  with  the  regiment, 
amid  a  pause  in  the  harsh  battle  noises  which  stunned 
the  ear  throughout  each  day,  and  often  reached  far 
into  the  night : 

June  24th.  "It  was  quiet  in  our  front.  Heavy  firing  was  heard  on 
our  right  early  in  the  morning,  which  continued  the  greater  part  of 
the  day,  with  short  cessations.  When  night  came,  firing  along  dif 
ferent  portions  of  the  line  ceased,  and  it  was  as  quiet  as  a  New 
England  Sabbath.  For  three  consecutive  evenings,  our  chaplain  had 
tried  to  hold  meetings.  This  evening  he  succeeded.  Nearly  the 
whole  regiment  came  together  at  the  centre  of  the  line,  keeping  near 
the  works  so  as  to  be  able  to  spring  to  arms  at  a  moment's  notice. 
Seated  on  the  ground,  officers  and  all  seemed  rejoiced,  thus  together 
to  worship  God.  Within  full  hearing  of  the  enemy,  we  sang  the 
old  hymns,  and  some  regiment  down  the  line,  echoed  them  back  to 
us.  One  of  the  captains  and  two  of  the  men  led  in  prayer,  and  all 
listened  attentively  to  the  earnest  words  of  the  chaplain.  Captain  A. 
Lockwood,  was  mustered  as  major  of  the  regiment  to-day.  The 
intrenchments  behind  which  we  were  holding  the  front  line,  were 
built  of  logs  and  earth,  and  were  very  strong,  and  the  army  asked 
nothing  belter  than  to  have  the  enemy  hurl  their  forces  against  them. 


144  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH    N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

The  men  were  calm  and  confident  when  there  were  real  indications 
of  an  attack  and  scarcely  noticed  the  famiiiar  whizzing  sound  of  the 
minies  from  the  opposing  skirmish  line." 

The  above  picture  furnishes  a  strong  contrast,  as  it  is 
a  pleasant  relief  to  the  dark  and  stormy  scenes  of  con 
flict  and  bloodshed  through  which  so  much  of  the 
regiment's  way  had  lain  hitherto,  and  it  is  honoring  to 
the  soldiers,  to  see  them  amid  their  grim,  warlike  sur 
roundings,  doing  honor  and  homage  to  Him,  through 
whom  alone,  all  good  and  perfect  gifts  are  bestowed, 
among  them,  prospectively  being,  triumph  to  our  arms 
in  the  prolonged  struggle,  in  whose  final  and  complete 
success,  the  nation's  integrity,  freedom  and  very  life 
were  involved. 

The  heat  of  the  weather,  in  these  midsummer  days, 
was  at  times,  almost  insupportable,  and  the  suffering  of 
the  soldiers  in  marching  and  in  the  daily  services  they 
were  called  upon  to  perform,  such  as  levelling  the 
enemy's  abandoned  works,  digging  wells,  etc.,  was  very 
severe.  Every  change  of  position  made  it  necessary  to 
open  new  wells,  for  no  water  could  be  obtained,  fit  for 
use,  without  this  constantly  imposed  labor.  The  follow 
ing  from  the  diary  of  July  i2th,  sets  these  matters  forth 
in  strong  light : 

"Near  daylight,  all  the  intrenchments  in  front  of  us  had  been 
levelled,  when  we  marched  about  two  miles  to  the  left  and  rear.  We 
halted  in  an  open  field,  while  an  army,  with  its  artillery,  passed  by 
us,  among  them  being  5,000  colored  troops.  No  word  or  look  of 
disrespect  escaped  any  of  our  men,  most  of  whom  looked  upon 
colored  troops  for  the  first  time,  and  would  probably  have  jeered  and 
derided  the  same  troops,  a  few  months  before.  Now,  however,  they 
had  proved  themselves  good  soldiers,  worthy  to  wear  the  blue  and 
stand  in  the  ranks  of  freedom. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

"  July  i3th.  Our  task  of  levelling  breastworks  was  completed  this 
morning  at  10  o'clock.  It  was  about  the  hottest  day  we  had  ever 
experienced.  The  sun  seemed  fairly  to  wither  us.  The  digging 
done,  we  at  once  started  forward,  and  after  two  sleepless  nights,  one  of 
them  passed  in  hard  labor,  marched  at  a  very  rapid  pace  for  about  five 
miles  through  dust,  that  rose  in  a  long,  heavy  cloud.  Four  men  in 
the  regiment  directly  behind  us,  dropped  dead.  Some  of  our  men 
were  overcome  with  the  heat  and  fell  out,  within  half  a  mile  of  camp. 
The  entire  regiment  showed  signs  of  utter  exhaustion.  The  color 
bearer,  fell  from  sun-stroke  after  reaching  camp.  Many  complained 
of  giddiness,  and  scores  lay  panting  in  the  woods. 

"Before  recovering  breath,  General  Mott,  unaware,  seemingly,  of 
any  unusual  suffering  in  the  ranks,  issued  an  order  to  dig  wells  and 
lay  out  a  camp.  In  half  an  hour  from  the  time  we  halted,  the  men 
who  could  walk,  were  busily  engaged  in  digging  wells  and  in  prepa 
rations  for  the  night's  encampment.  At  about  six  p.  M  ,  of  the  i4th, 
we  were  ordered  with  the  division  to  the  front,  to  tear  down  old 
works  left  by  the  enemy.  All  night,  with  pick  and  spade,  we  were 
at  work  to  level  old  Confederate  fortifications,  completing  our  task 
the  next  day,  by  laboring  at  it  from  four  p.  M.,  till  an  hour  before 
midnight.  The  works  torn  down,  had  formed  a  strong  position,  and 
were  now  occupied  by  the  Eighteenth  Corps  and  the  colored  troops. 
From  the  ridge  they  occupied,  the  spires  of  Petersburg  churches 
seemed  close  by,  while  to  the  right,  a  plain  stretched  to  the  Appo- 
mattox,  visible  at  intervals,  through  the  trees.  Across  this  plain, 
extended  the  opposing  lines." 

The  arduous  character  of  the  service  rendered  by  the 
regiment,  while  the  siege  of  Petersburg  was  in  progress, 
appears  from  the  foregoing  extracts.  This  service  did  not 
greatly  vary  during  the  summer  months.  The  men 
bore  the  burdens,  of  whatever  kind,  which  rested  on 
them  clay  by  clay,  with  .unmurmuring  constancy,  while 
they  looked  forward  hopefully  to  the  end  of  their  toils, 
which  they  foresaw  could  not  be  very  long  delayed. 
On  the  30th  of  July,  occurred  the  explosion  of  the 
Petersburg  mine,  to  vary  the  uniformity  of  the  opera- 

10 


1 46  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

tions,  having  the  capture  of  the  city  in  view.  It  was  a 
carefully  contrived  plan  to  compass  the  surrender  of 
the  city,  and  had  its  execution  corresponded  fully  with 
the  prearranged  details,  Petersburg  would  then  have 
been  lost  to  the  Confederacy.  But  the  plan  miscarried, 
as  many  another,  not  less  important  or  skillfully  devised, 
has  done.  The  eight  tons  of  gunpowder,  were,  indeed, 
duly  exploded  ;  a  part  of  the  enemy's  works,  with  300 
troops  manning  them,  was  blown  up  ;  a  huge  fissure  was 
made  in  the  ground,  through  which  columns  advanced, 
to  what  was  meant  and  expected  to  be,  a  triumphant 
assault.  But  troops  were  hastily  rallied  to  the  defense, 
with  a  combined  power  of  resistance,  which  baffled  all 
efforts  of  the  assailants.  The  result  is  told  in  the 
graphic  words  of  General  Grant,  himself  :  ''The  effort 
was  a  stupendous  failure.  It  cost  us  4,000  men,  mostly 
however,  captured,  and  all  clue  to  inefficiency  on  the 
part  of  the  corps  commander,  who  was  sent  to  lead  the 
assault."  * 

*  General  Grant's  "Personal  Memoirs."      Vol.  II,  p. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

STEADY    PROGRESS    OF     THE      SIEGE DANGERS      FROM      SHASPSHOOTERS — 

RESULTING    CASUALTIES HOW    THE    REGIMENT  SERVED    AND    SUFFERED 

— GENERAL     BARTLETT's    ACCOUNT     OF    SOLDIER-LIFE     BEFORE    PETERS 
BURG — CONSTANT  PERIL  TO  LIFE  AND  LIMB THE  LIVING  SOLDIERS  NOT 

LESS  DESERVING  THAN    THE    DEAD RALPH    WALDO    EMERSON^S    REMARK 

— MARCH     TO     WELDON     RAILROAD — BOYDTON    PLANK    ROAD THE    ONE 

HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  CAPTURES    INTRENCHMENTS    AND    PRISONERS 

— SWORD  PRESENTATION — HONORING  OUR  SOLDIERS'  GRAVES CHAPLAIN 

HOPKINS'  LETTER  AND  GENERAL  DOUBLEDAY's  RESPONSE. 

The  failure  to  capture  Petersburg,  through  the 
explosion  of  the  mine,  was  followed  by  several  weeks  of 
comparative  inaction.  The  effect  of  the  operation  had 
been,  to  draw  heavy  bodies  of  Lee's  troops  to  the 
defense  of  the  city,  against  which  such  daring  attempts 
were  making  by  the  Union  army,  so  that  a  large  part 
of  his  forces  were  now  posted  behind  the  fortifications 
of  Petersburg.  It  was  shown  by  this,  how  much 

o  * 

importance  the  Confederate  leader  attached  to  the  hold 
ing  of  the  city,  and  that  he  regarded  its  fall,  as  a  calamity 
that  might  foreshadow  speedy  ruin  to  his  cause.  The 
extensive  lines  of  defense  were  therefore  strength 
ened  in  every  way  possible,  and  the  task  of  the 
besiegers  to  break  through,  had  become  more  difficult 
than  before  the  explosion  of  the  mine. 

The  siege,  however,  was  not  to  be  abandoned.  The 
Union  troops  had  come  to  stay.  No  difficulties  which 
opposed  them,  could  turn  them  aside  from  their  pur 
pose.  This  purpose  was  to  have  Petersburg  at  all 


148  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

hazards,  and  with  it  Richmond,  though  it  should  require 
months  to  accomplish  it.  To  this  end,  their  own  lines 
were  not  only  made  stronger,  but  extended  from  time 
to  time  and  brought  nearer  to  those  of  the  enemy,  and 
new  and  more  commanding  positions  taken,  to  harass 
their  stubborn  adversary,  as  occasion  offered  ;  to  con 
fine  him  within  narrower  limits  and  gradually  weaken 
his  power  of  resistance. 

Thus    the    besieging   forces   lay   before  and  around 
Petersburg,  seeking  what   advantage   they   could,  and 

o  o  o  J 

hopeful  still  of  a  favorable  issue,  while  the  weeks  of  the 
autumn  slowly  succeeded  each  other.  They  were  con 
stantly  within  reach  of  shot  and  shell  from  the  opposite 
defenses,  though  the  shelter  of  breastworks  and  bomb- 
proofs  protected  them  in  some  measure  against  deadly 
missiles.  The  greatest  caution  was  necessary  to  guard 
against  the  keen -eyed  sharpshooter,  especially  on  the 
skirmish  or  picket  line,  and  any  movement  by  parties 
outside  of  the  works,  was  liable  to  be  attended  by 
serious,  sometimes  fatal,  casualties.  Some  instances  of 
the  latter,  will  be  given  in  an  account  of  several  clays' 
experiences  in  the  progress  of  the  siege,  and  these  will 
serve  to  exhibit  the  nature  of  the  work  the  besiegers 
were  called  upon  to  do  clay  after  clay,  and  the  perils  to 
which  they  were  exposed,  in  performing  it.  The 
account  is  from  the  diary  from  which  I  have  drawn  so 
freely,  whose  full  and  carefully  compiled  details,  furnish 
the  best  information  attainable  on  matters  of  principal 
concern  to  the  regiment.  The  following  extracts  will 

o  o 

serve  as  a  sample  of  the  kind  of  service,  with  its  attend 
ant  trials,  required  of  the  regiment  during  many  weeks 
that  the  siege  was  going  forward  : 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  49 

"September  9th.  In  the  evening,  a  detail  fiom  our  regiment, 
among  others,  was  sent  to  strengthen  the  picket  line,  while  the  Twen 
tieth  Indiana,  Ninety-ninth  Pennsylvania  and  the  Second  U.  S. 
Sharpshooters,  were  to  capture  the  enemy's  rifle  pits,  which  were  near 
one  of  our  forts,  on  the  Jerusalem  Road.  We  were  first  taken  to  the 
fort  and  then  moved  silently  forward  to  the  picket  line,  where  we 
found  the  regiments  named,  ready  and  waiting  to  move. 

"At  one  o'clock,  A.  M.,  of  the  roth,  the  moon  having  just  set,  the 
attacking  party  crept  forward  through  the  darkness  and  soon  reached 
the  rifle  pits,  surprising  the  videttes,  and  after  a  few  shots,  the  lines 
were  ours.  Many  of  the  enemy  came  running  back,  were  taken  in 
charge  and  sent  to  the  fort  by  our  picket  line.  Two  captains  and 
96  prisoners  were  taken  in  this  affair.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Meikel,  of 
the  Twentieth  Indiana  and  Lieutenant  G.  W.  Ellsler,  of  the  Ninety- 
ninth  Pennsylvania,  lost  their  lives  in  the  assault." 

The  picket  line  was  advanced  and  the  captured  works 
were  manned  with  Union  soldiers,  while  every  gun  in 
front  opened  against  the  successful  assailants,  shot  and 
shell  flying  over  the  heads  of  the  sheltered  troops  and 
plowing  up  the  ground  in  their  front ;  the  cannonade 
continuing  till  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  At  three 
o'clock,  another  portion  of  the  lines  was  assailed  by  the 
enemy's  cannon ,  with  such  a  furious  outburst,  that  the  regi 
ment  was  called  out  to  confront  any  danger  that  might  be 
impending.  Later  in  the  morning,  an  attack  on  our 
picket  line,  resulted  in  the  capture  of  some  25  Union 
soldiers,  who  were  guarding  it.  Constant  firing  was 
kept  up  between  the  opposing  picket  lines,  and  this  often 
resulted,  in  the  parties  engaged,  being  struck  down  by 
shots,  that  sometimes  proved  fatal.  Some  of  these 
casualties  which  befell  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth, 
apart  from  their  interest  as  individual  incidents, 
will  show  the  hazards  attending  the  siege  of  a 
strongly  defended  city,  even  when  the  besieging  forces 


I  OO  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

exercise  becoming  caution  and  care  in  their  own    pro 
tection. 

"September  i6th.  Our  regiment  lay  between  forts  Warren  and 
Crawford,  in  the  front  line,  and  about  100  yards  to  the  left  of  the 
Jerusalem  plank  road.  At  night,  could  be  seen  the  flashes  of  rifles 
all  along  the  opposing  lines,  while  the  blaze  from  mortars  and  the 
fiery  curves  described  by  the  shells,  presented  a  very  picturesque 
spectacle. 

"September  2Oth.  The  news  of  Sheridan's  victory  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley  yesterday,  reached  us  and  caused  great  rejoicing  in  the  army. 
Wherever  there  were  Union  soldiers,  whether  in  camp,  in  the  rear,  or 
along  the  picket  line,  there  was  cheering  all  day.  In  the  evening, 
Lieutenant  Dederick,  a  brave  and  promising  young  officer  of  our 
regiment,  who  had  been  rejoicing  with  us  over  the  victory,  was  sent 
out  with  the  pickets.  While  on  the  reserve,  arranging  the  details,  a 
minie-ball  passed  through  his  heart,  coming  out  of  his  leftside.  He 
simply  uttered  the  words,  '  I  am  dead,  carry  me  to  the  bomb-proof,' 
and  lived  but  a  few  moments,  when  his  lifeless  body  was  borne  to 
the  camp  which  he  had  left  just  before  in  happiest  mood.  Lieutenant 
L.  A.  DuBois,  of  company  I,  who  had  placed  some  boxes  in  front 
of  his  tent  bed  for  his  protection  against  stray  minies,  and  which 
sheltered  all  but  his  feet,  was  wounded  in  his  foot  by  a  bullet  passing 
through  his  tent  during  his  sleep  this  night." 

"September  24th.  Bullets  were  striking  about  our  camp  and 
headquarters  thicker  than  ever,  passing  through  the  officers'  mess- 
tent  and  throwing  up  the  dirt  in  front  of  their  quarters.  At  night, 
we  were  sometimes  awakened  by  the  hum  and  thud  of  minies,  which 
for  a  moment,  caused  a  chilly  sensation  to  pass  over  us.  Head 
quarters  were  changed  in  consequence  of  the  annoyance  to  which 
they  were  thus  subjected. 

"September  26th.  Private  Brown,  an  old  member  of  Captain 
Gillett's  company,  was  shot  through  the  head  on  the  picket  line  this 
morning,  and  killed. 

"On  the  morning  of  the  3Oth,  one  of  our  men,  who  was  walking 
carelessly  along  with  no  thought  of  danger  near,  was  struck  by  a 
minie  and  fell  dead  without  speech  or  motion. 

"  September  3Oth.  At  night,  a  detail  from  the  regiment  was  sent 
out  on  picket.  One  of  the  pits,  occupied  by  four  or  five  men  of 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  5  I 

company  I,  among  whom  were  Jacob  Clapper  and  N.  Servoss,  was 
located  at  an  angle  in  the  line.  A  short  distance  to  the  left  was  a  pit 
containing  a  Confederate  sharpshooter.  It  was  dark  and  we  were  look 
ing  at  the  flashes  of  the  enemy's  guns,  when  a  bullet  from  the  sharpshoot 
er's  rifle  passed  through  Clapper's  head,  killing  him  instantly,  wounding 
Servoss  in  the  shoulder  and  hit  a  third  man  standing  near.  All  had 
been  watching  the  enemy's  fire,  to  see  the  direction  of  their  picket 
line  and  position  of  their  pits,  when  the  missile  struck  them,  causing 
the  three  to  fall  at  once/' 

The  foregoing  accounts  show  what  constant  peril  to 
life. and  limb  lay  in  wait  for  those  who  were  patiently 
urging  the  siege  of  Petersburg.  The  intrenchments  and 
breastworks  built  for  their  protection,  did  not  afford 
absolute  safety  against  shot  and  shell.  The  men  may 
almost  be  said  to  have  been  under  fire  all  the  time,  and 
whether  sleeping  or  waking,  were  liable  to  be  struck  by 
the  enemy's  bullets,  searching  every  part  of  our  lines 
for  victims.  An  interesting  and  graphic  account  of  the 
situation  before  Petersburg  and  of  what  dangers 
environed  the  troops,  is  given  by  General  F.  W.  Bart- 
lett,  commanding  the  First  Massachusetts  brigade  of 
Leslie's  division,  ordered  to  assault  the  enemy's  works 
right  after  the  mine  explosion.  General  Bartlett,  who 
had  lost  a  leg  in  the  Peninsular  campaign  and  had  a 
fine  record  as  a  gallant  and  chivalrous  soldier,  led  his 
brigade  promptly  at  the  word  of  command  into  the 
crater  opened  by  the  explosion,  where,  fighting  to  the 
last  extremity,  he  was  captured,  with  many  of  his  com 
panions  in  arms.  In  a  letter  to  his  mother  before  this 
mishap,  he  thus  recounts  an  experience  which  was  com 
mon  to  the  besieging  army  : 

"The  brigade  is  in  two  lines  of  breastworks,  100  yards  apart,  in 
the  front  of  the  enemy's  works  and  within  200  yards,  in  some  places. 


I  5  2  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

Brigade  headquarters  are  250  yards  in  rear  of  second  line.  Division 
headquarters,  200  yards  in  rear  of  brigade,  so  you  see  all  are  in  easy 
musket  range  of  the  enemy.  We  are  in  pine  woods,  the  trees  not 
very  thick.  The  headquarters  have  to  be  protected  by  a  stockade  of 
logs,  against  bullets  which  are  constantly  coming  through  here. 
Four  officers  of  the  Fifty-seventh  (Massachusetts,)  have  been  hit 
since  I  got  here,  one  killed,  three  very  badly  wounded,  in  the  sec 
ond  line.  Our  stockade  does  not  protect  us  against  shells,  which 
fall  in  front  and  rear  of  us,  but  have  not  hit  the  headquarters  yet. 
Some  fall  way  in  the  rear  of  division  headquarters,  and  some  near 
corps  headquarters,  which  are  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  in  rear  of 
division.  A  bullet  goes  whizzing  over  my  tent  every  few  minutes  as 
I  write,  and  goes  thud,  into  one  of  the  trees  near,  with  a  sound,  that 
makes  you  think  what  a  headache  that  would  have  given  you,  if  your 
head  had  been  where  the  tree  was.  The  bullets  patter  like  rain  at 
times  against  the  outside  of  this  stockade  of  logs,  the  inside  of  which, 
my  elbow  touches,  as  I  write.  It  is  a  continual  rattle  of  musketry, 
sometimes  swelling  into  a  roar  along  the  line,  and  varied  with  the 
artillery  and  mortars.  So  you  see,  we  are  liable  at  any  moment  to 
be  struck,  even  while  reading  a  paper  or  eating  dinner.  A  bullet 
went  through  Dr.  Anderson's  table,  as  he  was  eating  breakfast  this 
morning.  You  must  be  prepared  to  hear  the  worst  of  me  at  any 
time.  It  is  wearing  to  body  and  mind,  this  being  constantly  under 
fire.  People  at  the  North,  who  are  enjoying  themselves  and  thinking 
of  nothing  but  making  money,  little  appreciate  what  this  brave  army 
is  enduring  every  day  and  every  hour  for  them,  and  how  much  more 
cheerful  and  hopeful  they  are  than  people  at  home."  * 

On  October  ist,  the  regiment  moved  with  its  brigade 
to  the  Weldon  railroad,  taking  up  a  position  at  the 
extreme  left  of  the  Union  lines.  Here  they  remained 
several  days,  engaged  in  skirmishing  with  the  enemy, 
one  or  two  of  whose  slightly  defended  lines  they  suc 
ceeded  in  occupying,  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth, 
capturing  a  small  fort  at  the  right  of  the  Confederate 

*  Palfrey's  "Life  of  Bartlett,"  p.  112,  113. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS.  I  5$ 

position,  which  was  afterward  named,  Fort  Tappan,  in 
honor  of  its  commanding  officer.* 

All  day  of  October  2d,  the  regiment  lay  within  two 
or  three  hundred  yards  of  the  Confederate  works,  with 
no  other  protection  than  a  few  trees  and  certain  ridges 
on  the  surface  of  the  ground.  "Eight  men  were 
wounded  while  in  this  position,  among  them,  Captain 
Snyder,  of  company  C,  always  prompt  and  reliable,  who 
received  a  severe  wound  while  trying  to  extend  the 
skirmish  line  across  an  open  space.  William  O'Neal, 
another  stanch  and  tried  soldier,  who  had  been  in  the 
field  more  than  three  years  without  hurt,  had  his  right 
arm  taken  off  by  a  solid  shot.  James  Kenyon,  another 
veteran,  while  aiming  his  piece,  got  a  bullet  up  his  sleeve 
which  ploughed  a  furrow  nearly  the  length  of  his  arm." 

On  the  5th,  the  regiment  returned  to  its  former 
position  in  the  trenches  before  Petersburg.  The  fol 
lowing  extracts  from  the  diary  will  explain  the  situation 
of  the  regiment  and  some  matters  of  particular  interest 
connected  with  it  during  the  early  days  of  October : 

"  October  6th.   Colonel  Tappan   led  us  into   a    beautiful   camp, 
which  had  been  the  headquarters  of  General  Gibbon.     Here,    at  the 
left  of  Fort  Davis,  we  were  kept  till  October  24th,  for  the  purpose  of 
being  available  to  reinforce  any  portion  of  the  line  which  might  be 
menaced. 

"  October  8th.  In  the  evening,  there  came  to  the  regiment,  109 
recruits,  entirely  unexpected  by  any  one.  This  brought  us  up  to  the 
number  of  a  full  regiment,  on  paper,  although  we  only  drew  rations 
for  540.  Many  of  our  men  were  absent  on  account  of  sickness  and 
wounds  ;  a  number  were  prisoners  of  war,  and  some  were  rendering 
faithful  service  in  various  detachments.  The  chaplain  mentioned, 

*  See  General  Sharpe's  "Memorial  Address  in  Honor  of  Colonel 
Tappan,"  p.  15. 


I  54  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

that  since  the  last  pay  day,  he  had  sent  $21,000  home  for  the  men, 
while  $10,000,  making  in  all,  four-fifths  of  the  entire  sum  received, 
had  been  sent  in  other  ways.  This  was  certainly  an  excellent 
record. 

''October  yth.  Colonel  Sharpe,  from  City  Point,  with  a  friend, 
visited  the  regiment.  Religious  services  were  held,  officers  and  men, 
nearly  all  were  present,  and  combined  to  carry  on  the  singing  well. 
The  band  assisted  at  the  beginning,  and  altogether,  the  service  was  a 
very  satisfactory  one. 

"October  loth.  The  weather  was  very  cold  In  the  morning,  the 
ice  was  so  thick,  that  a  whole  piece,  taken  from  a  wash  basin,  could 
be  held  up  without  breaking.  Most  of  the  men  had  neither  over 
coats  nor  blankets,  and  yet  there  was  no  complaint. 

"October  i3th.  Four  of  our  best  men  were  wounded  on  the 
murderous  picket  line.  One  of  them,  a  brave,  ingenuous  boy  of  18, 
was  shot  through  the  body  and  died  at  night.  Another  young  man, 
had  a  great  furrow  ploughed  through  the  right  side  of  his  brain  by  a 
minie.  He  expressed  great  anxiety  to  live,  not  because  afraid  of 
death,  but  that  he  might  care  for  and  comfort  his  mother,  who  was 
largely  dependent  on  him.  His  anxiety,  however,  did  not  aveit  a 
fatal  termination,,  and  he  was  soon  numbered  with  the  nation's  dead 
soldiers. 

"  How  many  similar  affecting  cases  occurred  throughout  the 
extended  field  during  the  war,  and  how  greatly  do  they  add  to  the 
distresses  inflicted  by  the  grim  conflict ! 

11  But.  one  of  the  saddest  cases  of  blighted  hopes  just  on  the  point 
of  being  realized,  was  that  of  Sergeant  Melville  Hunt,  who  for  three 
years  and  four  months,  had  shared  all  the  fortunes  of  the  old  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  having  been  in  every  battle  but  one,  from  the 
beginning  of  McClellan's  campaign  in  the  Peninsula,  and  excepting 
a  ten  days'  leave,  never  absent  from  his  regiment.  Now,  for  sufficient 
reasons,  he  was  about  to  return  home,  having  received  an  honorable 
discharge.  On  the  eve  of  his  departure  from  camp  and  comrades, 
he  had  a  desire  to  look  once  more  upon  the  Confederate  fortifications 
and  the  spires  of  Petersburg,  and  with  this  view,  strolled  out  to  Fort 
Sedgwick.  Here,  standing  near  an  embrasure,  which  sheltered  him, 
as  he  supposed,  from  the  enemy's  observation,  a  sharpshooter's  bullet 
passed  through  his  heart,  killing  him  instantly." 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  I'OLS.      I  55 

Thus,  with  home  and  its  endearments  waiting  to  cheer 
him  in  a  day  or  two,  after  being  long  parted  from  them, 
while  doing  faithful  service  for  the  country  he  loved, 
the  unexpected  messenger  comes  to  him,  quenching 
every  bright  earthly  prospect,  in  his  life-blood.  Not 
only  as  a  brave  soldier  who  had  done  his  duty,  but  as  a 
Christian  man,  the  swift  summons  found  him  ready  for 
it,  but  the  incident  is  none  the  less  affecting  and  impres 
sive. 

This  incident  has  been  dwelt  upon  somewhat,  not 
because  it  is  wholly  singular  in  its  type  and  surround 
ings,  for  other  cases  nearly  similar,  marked  the  progress 
of  the  long  conflict,  but  to  show  what  risks  to  life,  con 
stantly  beset,  the  soldiers  who  were  fighting  for  the 
flag,  not  one  of  whom  could  count  upon  absolute 
immunity  from  the  shots  that  were  ever  hurtling  through 
the  air,  seeking  for  victims.  We  speak  of  those  who 
laid  down  their  lives  for  the  cause  and  hold  their  names 
in  abiding  honor  for  the  supreme  sacrifice  they  made  in 
its  behalf;  but  those  who  cheerfully  exposed  their  lives 
for  the  country,  though  they  passed  unscathed  through 
the  flames  of  war,  are  well  worthy  to  share  the  honor 
accorded  to  their  comrades  who  fell.  A  common  spirit 
and  devotion  animated  both,  and  to  both  belongs  a 
rescued  nation's  meed  of  gratitude  and  praise. 

Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  well  expresses  what  is  due 
from  the  country  to 'the  soldiers  who  lived  through  the 
conflict,  as  well  as  to  those  who  died  in  it : 

"The  obelisk/' he  says,  " records  only  the  names  of  the  dead. 
There  is  something  partial  in  this  distribution  of  honor.  Those  who 
went  through  those  dreadful  fields  and  returned  not,  deserve  much 
more  than  all  the  honor  we  can  pay.  But  those  also,  who  went 


I  56  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH   N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

through  the  same  fields  and  returned  alive,  put  just  as  much  at  haz 
ard,  as  those  who  died,  and,  in  other  countries,  would  wear  distinct 
ive  badges  of  honor,  as  long  as  they  lived.  I  hope  the  disuse  of  such 
medals  or  badges  in  this  country,  only  signifies,  that  everybody 
knows  these  men,  and  carries  their  deed  in  such  lively  remembrance, 
that  they  require  no  badge  or  reminder."  * 

The  regiment  moved  on  October  27th  to  the  Weldon 
railroad,  bivouacking  near  the  Yellow  House.  On  the 
27th  it  marched  to  the  Boydton  plank  road,  a  short  dis 
tance  south  of  Hatcher's  Run.  Here  it  joined  its 
brigade,  now  commanded  by  Colonel  Robert  MacAllis- 
ter,  of  the  Eleventh  New  Jersey.  The  brigade  was 
placed  in  an  open  field  east  of  the  Boydton  road,  in 
support  of  General  Egan's  division,  which  was  prepar 
ing  to  take  the  high  ground  across  the  stream.  As 
these  movements  were  preliminary  to  the  battle  of 
Boydton  Plank  Road,  in  which  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth  Regiment  bore  a  prominent  part,  we  will 
have  recourse  to  the  diary  for  the  details  of  this  affair, 
as  related  by  one  who  participated  in  it,  and  is  well 
fitted  to  describe  it : 

"While  in  this  position — the  one  above  named — we  were  start 
led  first  by  the  rattle  of  musketry  at  our  right,  and  then  nearly  in 
our  rear.  A  sudden  and  furious  attack  had  been  made  on  General 
Pierce's  brigade,  who,  thus  assailed  unexpectedly  by  an  overwhelm 
ing  force,  fell  back  in  disorder,  leaving  two  cannon  to  fall  into  the 
enemy's  hands.  Egan  abandoned  the  projected  assault  against  the 
heights,  faced  about,  and,  assisted  by  our  brigade  and  some  other 
troops,  made  a  countercharge,  retaking  the  guns  General  Pierce  had 
lost,  and  capturing  about  one  thousand  prisoners  from  the  enemy. 
We  soon  found  ourselves  facing  about  south,  in  the  direction  from 
which  we  had  marched.  A  rain  was  falling,  and  without  breast- 

*  Emerson's  Address  at  Ded.  Soldiers'  Monument  in  Concord,  April  iQth,  1867. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  lj 

works  we  were  subjected  to  a  severe  fire  of  artillery,  which  caused 
serious  results  to  the  regiment.  We  moved  forward  a  short  distance 
to  the  woods,  where,  with  our  hands  and  tin  plates,  we  dug  in  the 
ground  to  protect  ourselves  from  the  enemy's  bullets,  which  seemed 
to  come  from  every  direction.  We  were  surrounded  by  the  foe,  and 
the  prospect  was  anything  but  agreeable.  Late  in  the  afternoon  our 
regiment  and  the  Eleventh  Massachusetts  were  ordered  to  charge  the 
enemy  in  front  of  us.  We  moved  forward,  capturing  a  number  of 
the  pickets  and  driving  their  skirmish  line  before  us.  After  getting 
through  the  swamp  we  could  see  the  enemy's  forces  rallying,  and 
they  were  soon  advancing  and  pouring  into  our  ranks  such  a  stream 
of  musketry  as  to  force  us  back  to  our  position  in  the  edge  of  the 
woods,  from  which  our  volleys  held  them  at  bay.  Captain  James 
Chambers  and  seven  enlisted  men  were  killed  during  the  day,  and 
thirty-three  members  of  the  regiment  were  wounded  and  sixteen 
missing.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Tappen's  horse  was  killed  by  a  solid 
shot  or  shell  as  he  stood  by  it,  waiting  for  orders.  About  dusk  we 
heard  a  Union  cheer  in  front  of  us.  The  enemy  had  been  attacked 
from  the  rear,  and  were  soon  compelled  to  withdraw,  losing  a  num 
ber  of  prisoners.  The  bullets  from  the  attacking  columns  whistled 
over  our  heads,  and  we  soon  joined  in  the  loud  cheers  that  followed. 
Our  part  in  the  battle  of  Boydton  Plank  Road,  or  the  "  Bull  Ring," 
as  it  was  called,  was  ended,  and  after  da''k,  through  the  cold  rain 
and  the  mud,  we  commenced  our  march  back  toward  the  front  of 
Petersburg,  and  on  October  315!  we  arrived  once  more  at  our  old 
quarters,  the  bomb-proof  camp  near  Fort  Morton." 


On  the  night  of  November  6th,  the  regiment  was 
roused  from  its  sleep  by  a  furions  outburst  of  artillery 
and  musketry,  seeming  to  come  from  their  near  vicinity. 
Quickly  forming  into  line,  the  men  learned  that  the 
enemy  had  taken  a  portion  of  the  Union  picket  trenches, 
near  the  Halifax  Plank  road,  and  that  we  were  to  go 
forward  and  re-capture  them.  The  shells  were  bursting 
over  their  heads,  the  darkhess  lighted  up  with  their 
flashes,  while  mortars  and  cannon  mingled,  contributed 


I  58  ONE  PIUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

with  their  mighty  roar,  to  make  night  hideous  with  dis 
cordant  sounds. 

"The  regiment  moved  rapidly  forward  and  soon  reached  the 
works  in  which  the  enemy  were  sheltered.  Companies  C,  E  and  B. 
sprang  over  the  intrenchments,  and  wiih  bayonets  and  clubbed 
maskets,  forced  about  50  of  the  Confederates  to  surrender,  who  were 
sent  to  the  rear  as  prisoners.  Two  of  our  number  were  killed  and 
seven  wounded,  in  performing  this  energetic  and  skilful  exploit,  for 
which,  corps,  division  and  brigade  commanders,  were  pleased  to 
compliment  the  regiment." 

The  routine  of  camp  experiences  was  pleasantly 
varied  on  the  gth  of  November  by  the  presentation  of 
a  sword  to  Lieutenant  Alonzo  R.  Cole  by  the  company 
with  which  he  was  associated.  A  similar  mark  of 
regard  was  shown  on  the  iQth  by  the  members  of  com 
pany  B  for  their  Captain,  Rodney  B.  Newkirk,  who 
became  the  recipient  of  an  elegant  sword.  The  pre 
sentation  in  both  cases  was  made  by  Lieutenant-Colo 
nel  Tappen  in  brief  and  appropriate  terms,  to  which 
the  recipients  of  the  swords  made  fitting  replies.  The 
soldiers  were  much  interested  in  the  ceremonies, 
expressing  their  good  wishes  for  the  officers  thus  hon 
ored,  whose  merits  and  character  had  commended  them 
as  deserving  of  this  distinction. 

To  have  the  remains  of  the  soldiers  dying  in  the 
service  of  the  country  properly  interred,  and  their 
graves  secured  against  desecration  or  against  the  neg 
lect  that  left  them  without  mark  or  distinction  of  any 
sort,  is  a  matter  in  which  every  true  heart  feels  a  warm 
interest.  Wherever  operations  were  carried  on  against 
the  enemy,  valuable  lives  were  laid  down  by  men  fight 
ing  under  the  national  flag.  These  men  had  gone  forth 


ONE   HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  19 

from  Northern  homes,  leaving  kindred  behind  them, 
who,  while  yielding  them  up  at  their  country's  call, 
followed  them  into  the  field  with  yearning  for  their  safe 
return,  and  with  constant  solicitude  for  their  escape 
from  surrounding  dangers.  When  tidings  of  the  death 
of  these  loved  ones  reached  home,  the  stricken  hearts 
bowed  to  the  stroke  with  what  fortitude  they  might,  but 
the  consolation  was  theirs  that  the  life  laid  down  was 
in  the  service  of  the  country,  and  this  was  a  soothing 
reflection.  If  to  this  were  added  the  knowledge  that 
the  dead  kinsman's  remains,  instead  of  being  thrown 
aside  as  a  worthless  thing,  were  tenderly  cared  for, 
received  a  soldier's  burial  with  fitting  respect,  and  with 
a  suitable  memorial  over  the  grave,  it  would  solace 
bereaved  homes  more  than  words  can  express.  With 
the  view  of  having  provision  made  for  a  suitable  place 
of  burial  for  the  Union  deceased  soldiers  before  and 
around  Petersburg,  and  for  due  honor  to  be  paid  to 
their  remains,  Chaplain  Hopkins,  whose  attention  to 
the  interests  and  needs  of  the  soldiers  was  unremitting, 
addressed  to  the  proper  authorities  a  letter  from  which 
we  extract  the  following  : 

"  HEADQUARTERS  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  VOLS.,  ) 

"November  18,  1864.      ) 

"ADJUTANT:  I  beg  leave  respectfully  to  call  attention  to  the  fol 
lowing  facts  : 

"Since  the  arrival  of  the  army  before  Petersburg  there  have  been 
no  places  assigned  for  the  burial  of  the  dead,  and  there  has  been  no 
system  followed  in  marking,  numbering  or  recording  the  position  of 
the  graves  of  the  fallen.  We  accordingly  find  that  the  dead  are  scat 
tered  here  and  there,  buried  in  dooryards  and  gardens,  along  road 
sides,  by  water-courses  and  in  the  woods  —  wherever  the  lines  of  the 
army  have  reached.  From  very  many  graves  the  slight  head-boards 


I  6O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

originally  set  up  have  been  removed,  and  from  many  of  the  remain 
ing  boards  the  lettering  is  wholly  obliterated,  while  upon  all  of  them 
it  is  growing  every  day  fainter.  The  storms  of  the  coming  winter 
will  render  nameless  nearly  all  the  graves  of  the  soldiers  of  the  Union 
who  have  fallen  in  front  of  Petersburg,  thus  putting  it  forever  out  of 
the  power  of  their  friends  to  recover  their  remains,  or  of  their  coun 
try  to  mark  their  resting  place." 

After  stating  that  a  similar  neglect  in  regard  to 
burial  and  to  the  preserving  of  inscriptions  on  tablets, 
prevailed  also  about  hospitals,  so  many  of  whose 
inmates  were  constantly  borne  to  the  grave,  the  chap 
lain  adds  : 

"  I  therefore  have  the  honor  to  ask  that  the  attention  of  the  proper 
authorities  be  called  to  this  whole  subject,  and  I  would  respectfully 
suggest  that  the  sites  for  one  or  more  cemeteries  be  at  once  selected  ; 
that  the  bodies  of  all  United  States  soldiers  who  have  been  killed,  or 
who  have  died  since  the  occupation  of  the  present  line,  be  removed 
to  such  place  or  places  as  shall  be  chosen,  and  that  hereafter,  during 
the  present  military  operations,  it  be  ordered  that  no  intermems  of 
bodies  of  soldiers  be  made  elsewhere. " 

This  application,  sent  through  Adjutant  Russell, 
received  a  few  days  after,  a  favorable  reply,  in  a  circular 
order,  from  Major  General  Doubleday,  the  commander 
of  the  corps,  a  part  of  which  is  in  these  words  : 

"Commanding  officers  within  the  corps  are  directed  to  have  all 
burial  grounds  strongly  fenced  in,  the  topmost  rail  to  be  mortised  or 
pinioned.  Inscriptions  upon  the  head-boards  will  show  distinctly 
the  name,  rank,  company,  regiment,  and  date  of  death  of  the 
deceased.  *  *  *  Application  will  be  made  to  the  commander 
of  the  army  for  authority  to  disinter  the  isolated  bodies  of  deceased 
soldiers  of  the  command,  in  order  that  they  may  be  reinterred  in  the 
burial  ground  of  the  division  to  which  they  belonged,  and  that 
proper  head-boards  and  inscriptions  may  be  placed  over  their  graves." 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  6  I 

This  shows  becoming  respect,  not  only  for  our  dead 
soldiers,  but  for  the  sentiment  of  the  country  in  regard 
to  the  reverential  treatment  of  the  remains  of  those  who 
fell  in  its  defense.  This  sentiment  has  found  beautiful 
expression  and  on  a  large  scale,  in  the  erection  of 
national  cemeteries  all  over  the  land,  where  battles 
were  fought  and  Union  soldiers  laid  down  their  lives. 
The  government  has  taken  these  cemeteries  under  its 

o 

own  care,  gathering  into  them  the  remains  of  its  brave 
defenders,  wherever  they  could  be  found,  and  by  the 
tender  and  assiduous  guardianship  which  it  continues 
to  exercise  over  them,  showing  how  highly  it  honors 
the  dust  of  the  men  whose  strong  arms  saved  it  from 
overthrow  and  ruin. 


11 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

GENERALS    HANCOCK    AND     HUMPHREYS — THE  MURDEROUS     PICKET-LINE 

INCESSANT  FIRING — COLONEL  TAPPEN    TAKES    LEAVE  OF  THE    REGIMENT 

AFFECTING  ADIEU THE  WELDON  RAID — INCIDENTS  OF  IT  BY  PARTIES 

WHO  WERE  THERE EXCESSES  BY  SOLDIERS  IN    AN    ENEMY'S    COUNTRY 

NOT  ALWAYS    AVOIDABLE WHAT    GENERAL    SHERMAN    SAYS CHAPLAIN 

HOPKINS'      REPORT THE      AFFAIR      AT      HATCHER'S      RUN HUMPHREY'S 

EXPERIENCE  BEFORE  PETERSBURG — WINTER  QUARTERS. 

On  the  26th  of  November,  General  Hancock  resigned 
the  command  of  the  Second  Corps.  He  had  been 
selected  to  organize  the  First  Army  Corps  of  veterans, 
making  his  headquarters  at  Washington,  where,  in  the 
prosecution  of  this  work,  he  remained  till  February, 
1 865.  His  military  record  during  the  war,  illustrates 
the  history  of  the  Union  army.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  figures  in  all  the  great  battles  which 
that  army  fought,  notably  that  of  Gettysburg,  whose 
successful  result  was  largely  due  to  his  foresight,  readi 
ness  to  meet  emergencies,  skilful  dispositions  and 
indomitable  energy.  The  soldiers  he  had  commanded, 
found  it  hard  to  part  with  one  so  trusted  and  loved,  and 
who  had  stood  by  them  so  long  and  stanchly,  in  unto 
ward,  as  in  prosperous  times. 

The  corps,  however,  was  fortunate  in  having  General 
A.  A.  Humphreys  succeed  to  the  command.  The 
position  he  had  held  as  chief  of  staff  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  was  due  to  his  high  character  and  military 
ability.  And  since  a  change  in  commanders  was 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.S.    VOLS.  163 

necessary,  the  corps  might  well  felicitate  itself,  that  one 
so  skilful  and  experienced,  and  so  well  qualified  for 
the  post,  as  General  Humphreys,  was  to  lead  it  hence 
forth  to  victory. 

The  2Qth  of  November,  was  the  last  day  that  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twentieth  occupied  its  bomb-proof  camp, 
which,  for  so  many  weeks,  had  been  a  target  for  the 
enemy's  shower  of  missiles.  That  these  lavish  favors 
were  not  received  without  acknowledgment,  but  met  with 
a  return  in  kind,  appears  from  the  fact,  that  the  picket 
detail  of  one  hundred  men,  had  for  weeks,  expended  each 
day,  ten  thousand  rounds  of  ammunition.  This  indicates 
the  spirited  and  almost  constant  firing  kept  up  by  the  men 
in  this  hazardous  position,  casualties  in  wounds  received, 
sometimes  fatal,  being  no  uncommon  occurrence.  Leav 
ing  this  ground,  the  regiment  moved  toward  the  left, 
via  the  "  Yellow  House,"  to  a  new  camping  ground 
near  Poplar  Grove  church,  where  preparations  were 
made  for  building  tenements,  which  were  to  serve,  it 
was  thought,  as  winter  quarters.  This  expectation,  as 
events  showed,  was  not  fulfilled,  the  time  for  winter 
quarters,  implying  cessation  from  aggressive  field  service, 
being  not  yet  come,  but  lying  somewhere  indefinitely  in 
the  future.  The  regiment  had  work  to  do  of  an  import 
ant  kind  to  the  Union  interests,  and  as  usual,  stood 
prompt  and  ready  at  the  word  of  command  to  do  it. 
The  character  of  this  work  will  presently  appear. 

Meanwhile  Lieutenant  Colonel  Tappen,  for  control 
ling  personal  reasons,  resigned  command  of  the  regi 
ment,  to  the  great  regret  of  its  officers  and  men.  On 
December  3^,  he  met  the  men  of  his  command,  the 
sharers  in  many  a  conflict  and  hardship,  to  bid  them 


I  64  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

farewell.  The  scene  must  have  been  an  affecting  one, 
as  described  by  a  member  of  the  regiment : — "  We  were 
formed  in  line  of  battle  to  listen  to  his  parting  words. 
Sorrow  and  regret  were  depicted  on  every  face,  for  we 
had  felt  the  inspiration  of  his  presence  amid  many 
scenes  of  danger  and  suffering  and  on  many  a  tiresome 
march.  His  patriotism,  ability  and  loyalty  to  duty,  had 
been  tried  in  the  fires  of  battle  and  had  thoroughly 
stood  the  test,  and  this  day  of  his  leave-taking,  seemed 
to  us,  a  '  funeral  day.'  Colonel  Tappen  attempted  to 
make  an  address,  but  could  only  say  with  a  choking 

voice,  *  I  suppose  you  all  understand good  bye  boys, 

God  bless  you  all,'  when,  waving  his  hand,  with  a  heart 
too  full  for  utterance,  he  hastily  retreated  to  his  tent." 
In -an  official  letter  of  Chaplain  Hopkins,  concerning  the 
affairs  of  the  regiment,  written  during  this  month,  is  the 
following  tribute  to  this  respected  officer. 

"  The  opening  of  the  month  was  signalized  by  the  retirement  of 
Colonel  J.  R.  Tappen,  from  the  command  of  the  regiment  After 
more  than  three  years  of  faithful  and  distinguished  service,  he  has 
gone  back  to  civil  life.  His  departure  was  universally  deplored,  and 
the  scene  of  his  leave-taking  was  one  of  tender  and  affecting  interest, 
such  as  can  be  enacted  only,  when  a  tried  and  loved  commander  is 
finally  separated  from  veteran  soldiers,  whose  toils  and  dangers  he 
has  shared." 

The  log  houses  which  the  members  of  the  regiment 
had  completed  on  the  6th  of  December,  for  their  winter 
quarters,  supposing  that  they  were  to  find  some  rest  and 
comfort  within  them  during  the  wintry  months,  it  was 
found  necessary  to  abandon,  just  as  their  labors  in  con 
structing  them  seemed  happily  ended.  For  at  daybreak, 
on  the  morning  of  the  7th,  they  set  forth,  under  orders, 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  65 

on  an  expedition  that  was  afterwards  known  as  the 
"  Weldon  Raid."  The  expedition  was  in  command  of 
General  Warren,  and  consisted  of  troops  of  the  Fifth 
Corps,  with  Mott's  division  of  the  Second  and  Gregg's 
division  of  cavalry.  Its  object  was  to  break  up  the 
Weldon  railroad,  which  was  very  important  to  the  Con 
federates,  as  an  avenue  for  conveying  supplies  from  the 
country  south,  to  Petersburg  and  Richmond.  The  regi 
ment  marched  rapidly  for  a  distance  of  twenty  miles, 
and  bivouacked  about  four  miles  beyond  the  Nottoway 
river.  The  men  found  the  march  a  wearisome  one, 
laden  as  they  were  with  blankets  and  clothing  for  the 
winter,  in  addition  to  six  days'  rations  and  ammunition, 
the  unusual  burden,  with  the  long  march,  causing  many 
men  to  fall  out  of  the  ranks.  The  march  was  continued 
the  next  day,  opening  a  new  scene  for  the  soldiers,  and 
marked  by  certain  incidents,  which  are  fittingly  told  in 
the  following  extract  from  the  diary. 

"We  passed  many  fine  residences  and  plantations,  the  country 
not  having  been  devastated  by  the  army.  We  went  through  the  village 
of  Sussex  Court  House,  halting  for  the  night,  within  two  miles  of  the 
Weldon  railroad.  The  country  through  which  we  marched  offered 
fine  opportunities  for  foraging,  and  many  of  the  men  '  confiscated ' 
sweet  potatoes,  poultry,  pigs  and  lambs.  Some  discovered  in  the 
farm  houses,  barrels  of  molasses,  from  which  they  filled  their  canteens 
and  others  found,  stowed  away  in  the  cellars,  casks  of  apple  brandy, 
to  which  they  helped  themselves,  and  under  its  influence,  forgot  their 
hardships  and  passed  a  merry  night.  We  saw  many  white  women 
and  children  during  the  day,  whose  scornful  glances  told  of  the  feel 
ing  they  entertained  toward  'Yankee  soldiers,'  while  the  colored 
people  seemed  pleased  to  see  the  '  Stars  and  Stripes,'  heralding  the 
better  day  coming  to  themselves.  We  arrived  at  Jarrett's  Station,  on 
the  afternoon  of  December  9th,  and  at  once  commenced  tearing  up 
the  tracks.  Forming  in  line  along  the  road,  we  took  hold  of  the 


J  66  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

ties  and  rails,  and  with  liftings  and  shouts,  turned  them  upside  down. 
Great  fires  were  built  of  the  ties,  and  the  rails  were  laid  across  them 
and  heated  so  that  they  would  bend  and  twist  and  be  wholly  unfitted 
for  further  service  as  rails.  Three  times  we  thus  destroyed  portions 
of  the  road  the  length  of  our  line.  Late  at  night,  having  done  all 
that  was  required  of  us,  we,  with  the  Fifth  'Corps,  after  destroying 
about  twenty  miles  of  railroad,  commenced  our  return  toward  Peters 
burg.  On  December  loth,  we  passed  three  of  our  men  who  had 
been  murdered  and  stripped  of  clothing.  The  deed  was  supposed  to 
have  been  committed  by  people  living  along  our  line  of  march.  In 
accordance  with  General  Warren's  orders,  every  building  near  our 
route  was  set  on  fire  in  retaliation.  Smoke  and  flame  could  soon  be 
seen  in  every  direction,  and  when  night  came,  the  scene  was  awfully 
grand. 

"Sunday,  December  nth.  The  march  and  the  burning  of 
buildings  continued.  A  church  standing  near  the  road  met  the 
same  fate  as  other  structures,  though  some  of  the  men  protested  and 
did  all  they  could  to  save  it  from  the  flames.  We  passed  a  bitter 
cold  night  sleeping  on  the  ground  without  tents. 

"  December  i2th.  We  reached  the  Yellow  House,  having  marched, 
since  we  started  on  the  raid,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  miles.  We 
were  not  allowed  to  occupy  the  quarters  which  we  had  built,  and  slept 
in  only  one  night,  after  being  finished. 

"We  'took  lodgings,'  December  i3th,  on  our  new  camping 
ground,  near  the  Halifax  road,  where  we  were  'only  to  make  our 
selves  comfortable, 'a  hint,  that  we  were  not  expected  to  remain  there 
in  winter  quarters." 

The  foregoing  depicts  some  of  the  horrors  of  war,  in 
pillaging,  burning  and  destroying  property,  in  an  enemy's 
country,  a  thing  perpetrated  on  a  wide  scale  over  the 
land  while  the  conflict  lasted.  Some  of  the  wasting  and 
destruction  was  wanton,  but  that  is  hardly  avoidable, 
when  the  "  clogs  of  war,"  are  fairly  let  loose.  One  is 
reminded  of  General  Sherman's  words  in  his  famous 
letter  to  the  Atlanta  authorities,  who  besought  him  to 
countermand  his  order  sending  away  the  citizens  from 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS.  \6j 

the  place,  after  its  possession  by  the  Union  army. 
"  War  is  cruelty,"  he  says,  "and  you  cannot  refine  it  ; 
and  those  who  brought  war  into  our  country  deserve  all 
the  maledictions  a  people  can  pour  out.  You  might  as 
well  appeal  against  the  thunder-storm  as  against  these 
terrible  hardships  of  war  ;  they  are  inevitable  *  *  * 
We  don't  want  your  negroes,  or  your  horses,  or  your 
houses,  or  anything  you  have,  but  we  do  want,  and  will 
have,  a  just  obedience  to  the  laws  of  the  United  States. 
That  we  will  have,  and  if  it  involves  the  destruction  of 
your  improvements,  we  cannot  help  it." 

The  army  of  General  Sherman,  in  its  march  through 
Georgia,  illustrated  the  unavoidable  havoc  and  ruin 
which  attend  upon  the  footsteps  of  war,  the  "  destruction 
of  improvements,"  with  the  view  of  strengthening  the 
Union  interests  and  weakening  those  of  the  adversary, 
being  one  of  its  prominent  factors,  and  justified  by  the 
necessity  of  the  case.  Our  soldiers  in  Virginia,  in 
breaking  up  railroads,  acted  simply  as  their  comrades 
did  elsewhere,  striking  blows,  wherever  possible,  to 
injure  the  enemy  and  break  down  his  power  of  resist 
ance,  and  bring  back  peace  by  compelling  obedience  to 
the  government  and  laws. 

In  Chaplain  Hopkins'  report  for  December,  reference 
is  made  to  the  operations  of  the  regiment  during  this 
raid  upon  the  Welclon  railroad,  with  some  strictures 
upon  the  conduct  of  those  soldiers  who  manifested  inor 
dinate  zeal  in  carrying  on  the  work  of  destruction. 
There  are  other  matters  in  the  report,  of  interest  to  the 
regiment,  relating  to  its  numbers  at  this  period,  the 
changes  in  it,  the  hardships  and  exposures  of  its  mem 
bers  and  its  general  condition,  which  warrant  the  inser 
tion  of  some  extracts  that  follow  : 


I  68  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

4 'Divine  service  was  held  on  two  Sabbaths  of  the  month.  On  one 
of  the  remaining,  the  weather  rendered  it  impracticable,  and  dur 
ing  the  others  we  were  marching.  Religious  meetings  of  a  social 
character,  have,  on  two  or  three  occasions  been  held.  The  attend 
ance  on  all  was  creditable,  though  a  large  class  absent  themselves 
entirely.  The  morals  of  the  regiment  have  deteriorated  in  some 
respects,  particularly  manifested  in  irreverence  toward  religious  things. 
The  day  and  the  name  of  God  are  not  honored  as  formerly.  The 
vice  of  profanity  has  become  alarmingly  and  vulgarly  prevalent." 

The  Chaplain's  experience,  is  that  of  many  others, 
who,  during  the  war,  held  similar  relations  to  regiments 
in  the  field.  The  nature  of  a  soldier's  work,  the  scenes, 
surroundings  and  privations  of  camp  life,  the  being  shut 
out  for  months  from  home  society  with  its  restraining 
and  elevating  influences,  are  not  favorable  conditions 
for  awakening  religious  sentiments,  or  for  strengthening 
them  where  they  existed,  or  even  for  keeping  them 
fresh  and  unalloyed.  This  forms  another  and  a  strong 
count  in  the  catalogue  of  evils  growing  out  of  wars, 
from  which  every  nation  needs  to  pray  for  deliverance, 
as  from  famine  and  pestilence,  which  are  scarcely  greater 
calamities.  The  report  goes  on  further  to  state  : 

''There  have  been  no  deaths  (during  December,) with  the  regi 
ment.  Two  have  died  from  wounds  and  two  from  disease  in  hos 
pitals.  The  whole  number  present  for  duty  is  442,  twenty-five  held 
by  the  enemy  as  prisoners,  have  been  exchanged  out  of  the  i  ic  cap 
tured,  October  i6th,  1863,  at  James  City,  Va.  So  far  as  we  have 
learned,  32  of  the  original  number  have  died. 

"There  have  been  seven  promotions  during  the  month,  three  of 
them  from  the  ranks.  "  * 

*  The  names  of  those  promoted  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix  with  all  changes 
by  promotion  or  otherwise,  in  the  regiment,  from  the  time  of  its  leaving  home  till 
the  close  of  the  war,  together  with  the  deaths  or  casualties  which  befel  it,  their  time 
and  place,  as  far  as  can  be  ascertained. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  69 

After  recounting  the  setting  forth  of  the  regiment  on 
its  expedition  to  break  up  the  Weldon  railroad,  which 
has  been  given  above,  the  report  continues  : 

"This  expedition  consumed  six  days  full  of  hardship,  and  was 
altogether  an  experience  tending  to  destroy  the  discipline  and  morale 
of  an  army.  No  special  order  having  been  issued  against  pillaging 
and  the  devastation  to  private  property,  there  was  from  the  first  much 
straggling  for  these  purposes,  On  the  second  and  third  day,  this 
was  carried  to  a  shameful  extent,  every  house  within  sight  and  some 
far  beyond,  being  visited  by  both  infantry  and  cavalry.  Men  who 
had  thrown  away  their  knapsacks,  appeared  in  the  column,  laden 
with  household  furniture,  chairs,  clocks,  china  etc;  and  with  other 
stolen  articles,  not  only  of  men's  but  of  women's  clothing,  and 
paraded  them.  Although  the  troops  were  amply  provided  with  food, 
houses  were  ransacked  and  stripped  of  everything  eatable,  while 
women  and  children  wept  their  protestation.  " 

On  the  return  of  the  troops  after  accomplishing  the 
destruction  of  the  railroad,  as  before  mentioned,  the 
sight  of  their  comrades  lying  murdered  and  stripped  by 
the  roadside,  so  exasperated  the  soldiers,  that  they  con 
tinued  to  burn  and  devastate  everything  lying  along  the 
track  of  their  march.  Referring  to  the  murdered  men, 
who,  straggling  in  the  rear,  had  been  set  upon  by  the 
inhabitants,  the  report  remarks  : 

"Such  savage  atrocity  cannot  be  too  severely  punished;  but  a 
wholesale  and  terrible  retaliation  visited,  for  the  most  part,  upon 
the  innocent  and  helpless,  for  acts,  which,  wicked  as  they  were, 
were  incited  by  the  wanton  outrages  of  our  own  men,  could  not  but 
be  a  bad  lesson  in  morals  to  the  troops.  " 

Though  the  truth  conveyed  in  this  reflection,  is  such, 
as  no  upright  and  humane  person  can  well  dispute,  the 
"  powers  "  in  command,  were  not  quite  satisfied  with  its 


I  7O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH   N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

expression  under  the  circumstances.  The  report  was 
"  respectfully  returned "  from  headquarters,  with  an 
admonition  to  the  chaplain,  to  "confine  his  reports  to 
the  moral  condition  and  general  history  of  the  regi 
ment,"  and  not  comment  upon  the  operations,  nor  upon 
the  conduct  of  the  troops.  The  corps  commander,  how 
ever,  marks  his  disapproval  of  the  licenses  committed  by 
the  soldiers  on  their  recent  expedition,  by  adding  this  : 
"  If  the  statement  that  he  makes  concerning  the  con- 

o 

duct  of  the  regiment  and  the  troops  be  correct,  it  is 
greatly  discreditable  to  them  and  especially  to  their 
officers.  If  any  case  of  pillaging  or  destruction  of 
property  is  known  to  the  commanders,  the  offender 
should  be  brought  before  a  court." 

The  regiment  having  returned  to  the  ground  where 
it  had  expected  to  pass  the  winter,  in  quarters  adapted 
to  the  requirements  of  the  season,  was  soon  busied,  in 
connection  with  the  Eleventh  New  Jersey,  in  erecting  a 
log  chapel,  which  they  hoped  to  have  completed  by  the 
opening  of  the  new  year.  The  work  \vas  carried  for 
ward  with  spirit  and  energy,  and  finished  a  little  later 
than  the  time  reckoned  on,  and  duly  opened  for  relig 
ious  uses.  Considerate  ladies  from  the  North,  furnished 
it  with  books,  maps,  papers  and  magazines,  calculated 
not  only  to  relieve  the  monotony  of  camp  life,  but  to 
minister  to  the  moral  and  mental  well-being  of  the  sol 
diers,  whose  leisure  hours  were  thus  agreeably  and 
profitably  employed.  The  benefits  flowing  from  this 
source  continued  to  be  enjoyed  without  interruption  till 
February  4th,  when  an  order  to  pack  up  and  be  ready 
to  march  was  received,  another  expedition  being  con 
templated  and  on  the  verge  of  setting  forth.  The  object 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  J  I 

this  time,  was  to  break  up  the  Confederate  route  of  sup 
ply,  by  a  movement  on  Dinwiddie  Court  House. 
Gregg's  cavalry  led  the  movement,  followed  by  the  Fifth 
Corps  and  two  divisions  of  the  Second  Corps,  com 
manded  by  Generals  Smyth  and  Mott,  and  marched  to 
the  crossing  of  Vaughan  Road,  over  Hatcher's  Run  and 
to  Crawford's  Mill.  Mott's  division  was  put  in  position 
on  the  south  side  of  the  run,  and  General  Smyth's 
established  on  the  north  side,  at  Armstrong's  Mill, 
communication  being-  maintained  with  Warren's  Fifth 
Corps,  four  miles  distant.  The  intrenched  lines  of  the 
enemy  were  established  a  thousand  yards  in  front,  his 
left  covered  by  woods.  The  One  Hundred  and  Twen 
tieth  New  York  and  the  Eighth  New  Jersey,  formed 
the  extreme  left  of  the  Union  line.  The  attack  of  the 
enemy  began  about  five  p.  M.,  the  engagement  lasting 
upwards  of  two  hours,  and  urged  for  a  part  of  the  time, 
with  great  spirit  and  resolution.  The  attack  was 
repelled  at  all  points,  the  enemy  falling  back  to  their 
intrenchments,  and  the  fighting  on  this  part  of  the  line 
was  over,  no  considerable  losses  on  our  part  having 
been  sustained.  Warren's  Corps  was  more  heavily 
engaged,  and  in  an  attack  made  upon  it,  on  the  6th,  by 
the  enemy's  whole  line,  consisting  of  parts  of  Hill's  and 
Gordon's  Corps,  in  spite  of  the  exertions  of  the  leading 
officers  and  the  good  conduct  of  many  of  the  men,  his 
line  gave  way  and  fell  back.  He  puts  his  total  loss, 
including  the  cavalry,  at  i,i65,  killed  and  wounded,  and 
that  of  the  Second  Corps,  at  138,  showing  that  the 
brunt  of  these  several  engagements  fell  upon  his  own 
corps.  Referring  to  the  character  of  the  service  ren 
dered  by  our  troops  while  holding  the  lines  before  Rich- 


172  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

mond,  with  the  desultory  fighting  often  witnessed,  Gen 
eral  Humphreys  says : 

"During  the  whole  period  of  our  partial  investment  of  Petersburg 
and  Richmond,  there  were  frequent  affairs  on  the  picket  lines, 
especially  in  front  of  the  Petersburg  intrenchments,  where  the  affair, 
sometimes,  became  of  a  serions  character,  drawing  into  it  brigades, 
sometimes  a  division.  Some  of  these  encounters  occurred  at  points 
where  the  lines  were  so  close  as  to  cause  apprehension  of  a  success 
ful  night  attack,  and  hence,  the  effort  to  force  back  the  pickets. 
These  attacks  gave  occasion  for  the  exhibition  of  dexterity  and  daring 
on  both  sides,  but  did  not  result  in  any  appreciable  modification  of 
the  lines.  The  loss  they  entailed  in  killed  and  wounded,  was  by  no 
means  trifling."  * 

But  this  kind  of  warfare,  with  the  risks,  uncertanties 
and  inevitable  trials  attendant  upon  it,  was  rapidly 
approaching  its  end.  The  winter  months  were  gliding 
by,  and  the  spring  was  near  which  was  to  witness  the 
final  struggles  and  collapse  of  the  Confederacy.  By  the 
loth  of  February,  the  regiment  had  returned  to  its 
former  camping-ground,  and  soon  found  itself  in  snug 
winter  quarters,  where  it  remained  till  the  25th  of 
March.  During  this  interval,  their  new  flag  arrived  at 
headquarters,  inscribed  with  the  names  of  sixteen  battles 
in  which  the  regiment  had  participated.  When  the  sol 
diers  of  the  One  Hundred  ana  Twentieth  left  their 
quarters  again,  it  was  to  follow  in  the  track  of  Lee's 
retreating  army,  witness  its  surrender  and  share  in  the 
universal  acclamations  which  that  long-looked-for  event 
occasioned. 

*  Virginia  Campaign  of  1864  and  1865. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE     END    DRAWING    NIGH — LEE    PURPOSING    A    RETREAT GRANT'S    MEAS 
URES  FOR    PURSUIT CAPTURE    AND    RECAPTURE    OF    FORT    STEADMAN — 

WHITE  OAK  STATION  AND    DINWIDDIE    COURT    HOUSE FIVE    FORKS    AND 

SHERIDAN LEE'S     RETREAT RICHMOND    TAKEN PETERSBURG    EVACU 
ATED PURSUIT  OF  CONFEDERATE  ARMY PART  TAKEN  IN  IT  BY  THE  ONE 

HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  REGIMENT LEWIS'  MEMORANDA AN  ARM 
ISTICE   PROPOSED MEETING   OF   GRANT   AND   LEE  AT  APPOMATTOX — 

GRANT'S  ACCOUNT  OF  IT — TERMS  OFFERED  AND  ACCEPTED — INCIDENTS 
OF  THE  SURRENDER THE  SOLDIERS  JUBILANT THE  WAR  ENDED. 

The  operations  of  the  Union  army  before  Petersburg 
and  Richmond  were  steadily  nearing  a  successful  issue. 
Indications  that  Lee  must  soon  abandon  his  intrench - 
ments  before  these  cities  had  become  more  and  more 
apparent  as  the  folds  of  the  besieging  anaconda  were 
gradually  tightening  around  them.  Early  in  March,  in 
a  conference  between  Lee  and  the  Richmond  authori 
ties,  it  was  determined  that  as  soon  as  the  roads  would 
permit,  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  should  move  to 
Danville,  and,  uniting  with  that  of  Johnston,  attack 
Sherman,  whom  they  hoped  with  their  united  forces,  to 
overthrow.  General  Grant,  aware  of  this  purpose  of 
the  Confederate  leader,  took  prompt  measures  to 
thwart  it  by  preparing  his  army  for  immediate  pursuit 
as  soon  as  Lee  should  begin  his  retreat.  Accordingly 
he  issued  orders  on  the  24th  of  March  for  a  movement 
of  the  armies  operating  against  Richmond,  to  begin  on 
the  29th.  The  movement  was  to  be  to  the  left,  with  a 


174  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

view  to  destroy  the  Danville  and  South  Side  railroad, 
turn  Lee's  right,  force  him  to  abandon  his  intrench- 
ments,  and  thus,  with  his  army  in  flight,  to  pursue  him 
with  a  force  that  must  speedily  effect  his  defeat  and  cap 
ture. 

While  these  designs  were  maturing,  Lee  found  it 
desirable  to  make  an  assault  against  Fort  Steadman,  the 
capture  of  which  would  facilitate  his  withdrawal,  at  the 
proper  time,  from  his  present  lines.  At  this  fort  the 
opposing  lines  were  only  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
apart,  and  to  gain  possession  of  it  Lee  conceived  would 
be  of  great  advantage  to  him  in  his  future  operations. 
The  assault  was  accordingly  made  by  General  Gordon's 
corps,  with  portions  of  Hill's  and  Longstreet's  corps, 
embracing  nearly  half  of  the  Confederate  army.  The 
attack  took  place  at  half-past  4  on  the  morning  of  the 
25th,  and  was  so  sudden  and  vigorous  that  Fort  Stead 
man  was  captured,  with  most  of  its  garrison,  and 
several  batteries  in  its  vicinity. 

The  enemy's  possession  of  these  works  was,  however, 
short-lived.  General  Parke  directed  Wilcox,  with  the 
aid  of  Hartranft,  and  Tidball's  artillery,  to  recapture  the 
works,  which  was  effected  in  the  most  gallant  manner 
by  the  troops  under  command  of  these  officers.  The 
holding  of  this  fort  by  the  Union  troops,  after  its  com 
ing  back  into  their  hands,  was  not  likely  again  to  be 
contested,  and  Lee's  hopes  of  benefit  from  its  capture 
were  thus  sorely  disappointed.  His  loss  in  prisoners 
by  this  Union  success  was  nearly  2,000,  including  71 
officers,  with  nine  stands  of  colors.  In  fact,  every 
movement  made  by  the  enemy,  as  every  operation  of 
our  forces  against  him,  in  these  last  days  of  the  mighty 


ONE   HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  J  5 

conflict,  brought  Confederate  loss  and  disaster  along 
with  it,  and  pointed  to  the  rapidly  waning  strength  of 
the  rebel  army  and  the  certainty  of  its  speedy  and  utter 
collapse. 

At  White  Oak  Station  and  at  Dinwiddie  Court 
House,  on  the  3ist  of  March  and  April  ist,  actions 
took  place  between  the  opposing  forces,  with  success 
for  the  Union  troops,  many  prisoners  being  captured 
from  the  enemy.  At  Five  Forks,  where  the  enemy 
was  strongly  intrenched  in  force,  a  battle  occurred  on 
April  ist,  a  signal  success  being  gained  by  the  Union 
forces  under  General  Sheridan.  He  commanded,  in 
addition  to  his  strong  force  of  cavalry,  the  Fifth  Corps, 
and  with  these  troops  he  carried  the  enemy's  intrench- 
ments,  capturing  6,000  prisoners,  besides  artillery  and 
large  quantities  of  small  arms.  The  enemy  fled  and 
scattered  in  all  directions,  and  in  the  vigorous  pursuit 
which  followed,  other  serious  Confederate  losses  were 
sustained. 

Following  closely  in  the  wake  of  these  important  suc 
cesses  was  the  assault,  on  the  26.  of  April,  by  order  of 
Grant,  upon  Lee's  intrenchments,  which  proved  no 
more  able  to  withstand  the  mighty  impact  of  the  Union 
forces  than  were  those  last  carried  at  Five  Forks.  The 
three  divisions  of  General  Wright's  Sixth  Corps 
advanced  at  early  dawn  to  the  attack,  broke  over  the 
enemy's  picket  line,  and,  under  a  heavy  artillery  and 
musketry  fire,  poured  in  masses  over  the  main  defenses. 
Nothing  was  able  to  resist  the  momentum  and  impetu 
osity  of  this  assault,  and  in  a  brief  time  the  works  were 
gained. 

After  his  intrenchments   were  thus   carried,  Lee  at 


176  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

once  notified  the  Confederate  authorities  that  he  would 
be  compelled  to  abandon  his  lines  during  the  following 
night,  his  retreat  involving,  of  course,  the  fall  of  Rich 
mond.  The  defenses  before  Petersburg  had  been 
assailed  on  the  same  day  by  troops  under  Generals 
Ord,  Humphreys  and  Parke,  and  with  the  same  signal 
success.  The  lines  of  the  enemy  were  captured,  includ 
ing  Forts  Gregg  and  Whitworth — the  former  after  a 
desperate  resistance,  involving  much  loss  to  the  assail 
ants — and  the  result  was  the  evacuation  of  Petersburg 
on  the  night  of  the  2d,  anticipating  a  bombardment  of 
the  place  which  was  ordered  to  commence  at  five  o'clock 
the  next  morning.  In  a  letter  written  to  City  Point  by 
General  Grant  on  the  2d,  just  before  the  city  was  aban 
doned,  he  speaks  of  the  captures  by  the  Union  army 
in  this  playful  vein,  not  usual  to  him,  but  indicating  his 
satisfaction  with  what  was  then  occurring  :  "  The  whole 
captures  since  the  army  started  out  gunning  will  amount 
to  no  less  than  12,000  men  and  probably  5o  pieces 
of  artillery."  The  capture  of  Richmond  was  almost 
simultaneous  with  that  of  Petersburg.  The  Con 
federate  government  left  the  former  city  about  two 
p.  M.  of  the  2d,  and  at  8.1 5  on  the  morning  of  the  3d, 
at  the  same  time  that  Generals  Grant  and  Meade 
entered  Petersburg,  General  Weitzel  took  possession  of 
Richmond.  The  Confederate  capital,  which  had  for  so 
long  a  time  baffied  all  efforts  to  capture  it,  to  the  attain 
ment  of  which  end  so  many  thousands  of  lives  had  been 
sacrificed,  was  at  last  in  Union  hands,  while  the  rem 
nant  of  the  gallant  army  which  had  stood  for  so  many 
months  as  the  city's  bulwark  against  all  assailants  was 
in  full  retreat  before  its  victorious  adversary. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  V.  S.    VOLS.  IJJ 

While  these  operations,  which  were  effecting  such 
significant  changes  in  the  situation  and  prospects  of 
the  two  armies,  were  in  progress,  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twentieth  Regiment  had  its  own  part  to  perform  in 
the  stirring  events  that  every  day  was  developing. 
From  the  25th  of  March,  till  the  2d  of  April,  when 
Richmond  became  ours,  and  for  the  days  following,  till 
the  surrender  of  Lee's  army,  the  regiment  had  its  full 
share  in  helping  forward  the  great  work  so  soon  to  be 
crowned  with  success.  Some  extracts  from  Mr.  Lewis' 
notes  referring  to  this  period*  and  the  service  rendered 
by  the  regiment  during  the  closing  days  of  the  war,  will 
be  read  with  interest.  Referring  to  the  severe  struggle 
-at  Fort  Steadman,  resulting  in  its  recapture  by  the 
Union  forces,  on  the  25th  of  March,  the  record  thus 
continues : 

"From  our  position  on  the  left,  we  heard  the  sounds  of  battle 
about  Fort  Steadman,  and  at  an  early  hour,  received  orders  to 
'strike  tents/  'baggage  to  be  sent  to  the  rear.'  We  formed  in 
front  of  the  breastworks  and  advanced  toward  the  enemy's  intrench- 
ments,  the  object  being  to  feel  their  strength.  We  were  soon  sub 
jected  to  a  galling  fire  of  both  musketry  and  artillery,  and  the  result 
to  our  regiment,  of  the  day's  operations,  was  six  killed,  thirty-two 
•wounded  and  forty-six  missing,  total  loss,  eighty-four.  Among  the 
severely  wounded,  and  prisoners  of  the  regiment,  was  Ellis  H.  Bishop, 
of  Rondout.  He  was  struck  in  the  eye  by  a  minie,  which  came  out 
of  the  back  of  his  head.  His  comrade,  thinking  him  dead,  left  him 
to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  We  returned  to  our  old  quarters 
at  night.  Received  marching  orders  on  the  28th,  and  on  the  29th 
marched  to  the  left  across  Hatcher's  Run,  about  three  miles,  and  at  1 1 
A.  M.  ,  formed  in  line  of  battle  and  still  advancing,  arrived  about  dusk, 
at  a  line  of  the  enemy's  deserted  entrenchments. 

"March  3Oth.  Advanced  in  line  of  battle,  halting  about  noon, 
and  began  constructing  a  new  line  of  works  opposite  one  of  the 
-enemy's  batteries.  In  the  night  the  regiment  marched  farther  to  the 

12 


I  /  5  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

left  and  massed  on  the  site  of  the  historical  '  Bull  Ring,'  near  the 
scene  of  our  engagement  October  2yth,  1864. 

"  March  3ist.  Firing  was  heard  on  our  right.  General  Grant's 
headquarters  were  near  us.  He  rode  over  an  open  field  close  by, 
and  was  cheered  by  the  men  and  fired  at  by  the  Confederate  artil 
lery.  Our  corps  commander,  General  Humphreys,  tried  the  same 
thing,  and  his  Adjutant-General,  who  was  right  behind  him,  was- 
killed  by  a  solid  shot  from  one  of  the  enemy's  guns. 

"  In  the  afternoon  we  were  ordered  to  pile  our  knapsacks,  and 
then  we  moved  forward,  in  line  of  battle.  We  advanced  through  the 
woods  to  the  brow  of  a  hill,  at  whose  base  was  Hatcher's  Run, 
beyond  which,  on  a  ridge,  were  the  enemy's  intrenchments,  with  a 
ditch  in  their  front.  At  the  command  'Forward  !  '  we  made  our 
way  down  the  hill,  under  a  brisk  fire  of  musketry,  reached  and 
crossed  the  stream,  charged  up  the  ridge  till  we  came  to  the  ditch, 
where  we  halted  ;  returned  the  enemy's  fire,  till  a  heavy  enfilading  fire 
from  the  left  and  rear,  necessitated  the  order  to  fall  back.  Our  loss. 
was  one  killed,  16  wounded  and  32  prisoners. 

"April  2d.  Our  brigade  took  possession  of  the  enemy's  intrench 
ments  in  front  of  the  division,  and  soon  all  the  Confederate  works 
south  of  Hatcher's  Run  were  occupied  by  the  Second  Corps.  Their 
line  defending  the  South  Side  railroad  was  broken.  The  regiment 
marched  up  the  Boydton  plank  road  and  massed  within  three  miles 
of  Petersburg,  after  which  we  took  a  new  position,  with  the  Appo- 
mattox  on  our  left  and  Petersburg  in  front.  *  *  * 

"  April  3.  Early  in  the  morning  word  was  received  that  Petersburg 
was  in  possession  of  our  troops,  that  Richmond  was  evacuated,  and 
Lee's  army  retreating.  There  was  great  rejoicing.  We  in  a  moment 
forgot  our  privations  and  one  continuous  hurrah  resounded  along 
our  line.  But  there  was  little  time  for  joyous  demonstrations,  and 
we  immediately  started  in  pursuit  of  our  fleeing  foes.  We  crossed 
the  South  Side  railroad  and  met  a  battalion  of  Confederate  prisoners. 
We  formed  a  junction  with  Sheridan's  command,  a  body  of  whom 
met  us  with  bands  playing  lively  airs.  We  soon  continued  our 
march  westward  toward  Burkesville,  passing  through  the  finest  coun 
try  we  had  been  in  in  Virginia.  Prisoners  were  being  picked  up  all 
the  way,  and  from  time  to  time  we  would  pass  abandoned  caissons, 
wagons,  etc.  We  continued  our  march  till  after  9  o'clock,  halting 
in  a  field,  for  the  night." 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  179 

The  regiment  continued  to  advance  in  line  of  battle 
in  joint  pursuit  of  Lee's  retreating  army,  on  the  4th, 
5th  and  6th  days  of  April,  meeting  all  along  with 
evidences  of  the  demoralized  condition  of  the  enemy's 
forces,  all  pointing  to  the  hour  of  their  surrender,  as 
being  just  at  hand.  On  the  5th,  they  passed  700  Con 
federate  prisoners  who  had  been  captured  by  the  Union 
cavalry  the  night  before.  In  the  afternoon,  the  regi 
ment  approached  Jetersville,  a  station  on  the  Richmond 
and  Danville  railroad,  not  far  from  Amelia  Court  House, 
near  which  Lee's  army  was  then  supposed  to  have 
arrived. 

In  their  march  on  the  6th,  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth  came  in  sight  of  a  wagon  train  of  the  enemy, 
which  by  dextrous  management  they  succeeded  in  cap 
turing,  and  then  appropriating  such  of  its  contents  as 
the  fancy  or  the  needs  of  the  soldiers  led  them  to  desire. 
On  their  march  on  the  7th  the  regiment  had  the  pleas 
ure  of  greeting  General  Sheridan  as  he  passed  by.  The 
General  was  in  excellent  spirits,  and  had  a  pleasant 
word  for  any  who  addressed  him,  saying  how  the 
enemy  had  been  and  was  being  beaten,  and  what  num 
bers  of  prisoners,  wagons  and  arms  had  been  taken. 
In  the  evening  the  regiment  was  well  up  with  the 
retreating  army.  The  men  were  placed  in  line  of  bat 
tle,  and  on  the  alert  for  any  alarm  that  might  come,  or 
order  that  might  reach  them  to  put  forth  further  exer 
tions.  On  their  right  a  fight  was  in  progress,  the 
sounds  of  which  fell  upon  their  ears,  while  the  wounded 
were  borne  past  them  to  receive  fitting  shelter  and 
attention  in  the  rear.  Two  days  only  remained  before 
the  war  should  end  in  Lee's  giving  up  the  contest,  and 


I  8O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

how  these  days  were  passed  by  the  regiment  may  be 
most  suitably  told  in  the  words  of  the  diary  : 


"April  8th.  We  found  the  Confederate  works  at  Farmville  evacu 
ated,  and  continued  the  pursuit,  but  were  soon  halted  to  wait  for 
orders.  With  the  column  we  moved  again,  and  passed  through  a 
small  hamlet,  when  companies  G  and  H  were  sent  out  on  a  foraging 
expedition.  They  found  plenty  of  ham,  pork,  flour  and  meal, 
which  were  dealt  out  to  the  regiment.  As  the  column  was  moving 
a  flag  of  truce  was  seen  some  distance  ahead  on  the  road,  and  at  the 
edge  of  a  wood  toward  which  we  were  advancing.  We  halted  for  a 
rest,  after  which  we  marched  until  3  o'clock  at  night. 

"Sunday,  April  9th.  We  packed  up  at  7  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
Musketry  and  artillery  were  heard  on  our  left.  After  we  were  under 
way  we  marched  until  near  i  o'clock  P.  M.,  when  we  moved  a  short 
distance  from  the  road  into  an  open  field,  where,  with  other  large 
bodies  of  troops,  we  were  massed,  and  after  stacking  arms  we  were 
told  that  there  would  be  a  suspension  of  hostilities  for  two  hours. 
We  learned  that  Generals  Grant  and  Meade,  accompanied  by  their 
staffs,  had  gone  out  to  the  front  to  meet  General  Lee.  We  all  felt 
that  something  unusual  was  about  to  happen,  but  yet  could  hardly 
make  ourselves  believe  that  the  end-  of  the  war  was  so  near.  It  was 
about  4  o'clock  p.  M.  when  General  Meade  was  seen  approaching, 
with  his  face  lit  up  with  a  smile  as  we  had  never  seen  it  before.  He 
soon  informed  us  that  Lee  had  surrendered.  No  pen  or  tongue  can 
properly  describe  the  scene  that  followed.  Some  wept  for  joy. 
Speeches  were  made,  flags  waved,  bands  played,  cannon  boomed, 
and  for  a  long  time  the  air  was  filled  with  knapsacks,  canteens,  coats, 
caps,  tin  cups,  coffee  kettles  and  blankets,  while  mingled  cheers  set 
tled  into  one  long,  continuous  roar.  We  can  never  forget  the  joy 
of  that  hour.  Our  many  disappointments,  long  and  wearisome 
marches,  exposures  and  sacrifices  seemed  all  to  shrink  away  into 
nothingness  in  the  blaze  of  the  present  triumph.  The  losses  looked 
trifling  compared  with  the  splendid  gain  now  secured.  The  princi 
ples  for  which  we  had  fought  and  endured  so  many  hardships  had 
prevailed  at  last.  The  war  for  the  Union  was  virtually  ended,  and 
God  had  given  us  the  victory." 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  8  I 

We  enter  heartily  into  the  raptures  of  the  Union  sol 
diers  as  set  forth  in  the  foregoing  lively  description. 
The  great  event  which  had  taken  place  was  fully  ade 
quate  to  produce  such  outbursts  of  joy.  It  meant  for 
the  soldiers  a  final  termination  to  all  the  hardships, 
perils,  sufferings  of  every  kind,'  belonging  to  service  in 
the  field.  It  meant  a  speedy  return  to  their  homes,  and 
to  the  loved  ones  who  were  yearning  to  greet  them  and 
rejoice  with  them  in  a  reunion  long  looked  forward  to 
with  hope,  mingled  with  fears  that  it  might  never  be 
realized.  It  meant  the  restoration  of  peace  to  a  dis 
tracted  country,  which  for  four  years  had  been  agitated 
from  centre  to  circumference  with  the  raging  storms 
that  threatened  its  destruction,  and  seemed  beyond  all 
human  power  to  control.  And  more  than  all,  it  meant 
safety  to  the  Union,  no  part  of  which,  long  and  obsti 
nate  as  the  conflict  had  been,  had  been  torn  away  from 
its  firm  fastenings,  to  mar  its  beauty  and  impair  its 
strength.  All  that  the  loyal  heart  loved  in  the  country 
and  its  institutions  had  been  preserved  intact,  as  the 
precious  fruit  of  these  soldiers'  toils  and  sacrifices,  with 
the  priceless  gain  added  thereto  of  the  blotting  out  for 
ever  of  the  stain  of  slavery  from  the  nation's  escutcheon, 
thus  making  us  a  free  nation  in  fact,  as  hitherto  we  had 
been  such  only  in  name.  Well  might  the  soldiers 
rejoice  and  make  the  welkin  ring  with  their  jubilant 
acclamations,  with  such  results,  present  and  prospective, 
secured  to  them  by  the  announcement  that  Victory  had 
come  and  the  war  was  ended ! 

It  needs  not  to  trace  in  detail  the  movements  of  Lee's 
army  for  each  day  from  April  2d>  when  its  retreat  began, 
till  the  9th,  when  its  surrender  took  place  at  Appomat- 


182 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 


tox.  Most  readers  are  familiar  with  the  story,  which  is 
outlined  with  sufficient  distinctness  in  the  narrative 
given  above.  The  surrender,  however,  has  such  his 
toric  importance,  and  the  circumstances  attending  it  are 
so  interesting,  that  a  brief  reference  to  the  closing  nego 
tiations,  with  the  written  terms  offered  by  General 
Grant  and  their  acceptance  by  General  Lee,  will  not  be 
deemed  amiss  by  any  reader  who  may  have  followed 
the  narrative  to  the  present  stage.  As  illustrating  the 
modest  and  generous  nature  of  the  illustrious  leader 
who  had  conducted  the  war  to  its  triumphant  close,  the 
record  is  specially  attractive,  and  will  lose  none  of  its 
charm  by  frequent  perusal. 

The  two  Generals  met  by  agreement  at  the  house  of 
Mr.  McLean,  on  April  Qth,  with  the  view  of  completing 
arrangements  for  the  surrender  of  the  Army  of  Vir 
ginia.  General  Grant,  in  his  "  Personal  Memoirs/' 
gives  the  following  account  of  the  interview,  with  its 
results : 

"General  Lee  was  dressed  in  a  full  uniform,  which  was  entirely 
new,  and  was  wearing  a  sword  of  considerable  value,  very  likely  the 
sword  which  had  been  presented  by  the  State  of  Virginia  ;  at  all 
events  it  was  an  entirely  different  sword  fiom  the  one  that  would 
ordinarily  be  worn  in  the  field.  In  my  rough  traveling  suit,  the  uni 
form  of  a  private,  with  the  straps  of  a  lieutenant  general,  I  must  have 
contrasted  very  strangely  with  a  man  so  handsomely  dressed,  six  feet 
high  and  of  faultless  form.  But  this  was  not  a  matter  that  I  thought 
of  till  afterwards. 

"We  soon  fell  into  conversation  about  old  army  times.  He 
remarked  that  he  remembered  me  very  well  in  the  old  army  ;  and  I 
told  him  that  as  a  matter  of  course  I  remembered  him  perfectly,  but 
from  the  difference  in  our  rank  and  years  (there  being  about  sixteen 
years'  difference  in  our  ages)  I  had  thought  it  very  likely  I  had  not 
attracted  his  attention  sufficiently  to  be  remembered  by  him  after  such 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS.  I  8  3 

a  long  interval.  Our  conversation  grew  so  pleasant  that  I  almost 
forgot  the  object  of  our  meeting.  After  the  conversation  had  run  on 
in  this  style  for  some  time,  General  Lee  called  my  attention  to  the 
object  of  our  meeting,  and  said  that  he  had  asked  for  this  interview 
for  the  purpose  of  getting  from  me  the  terms  I  proposed  to  give  his 
army.  I  said  that  I  meant  merely  that  his  army  should  lay  down 
their  arms,  not  to  take  them  up  again  during  the  continuance  of  the 
war  unless  duly  and  properly  exchanged.  He  said  that  he  had  so 
understood  my  letter." 

Then  after  some  further  conversation,  on  topics  not 
connected  with  the  business  in  hand,  General  Lee  sug 
gested  that  the  terms  proposed  for  the  surrender  should 
be  written  out ;  whereupon  General  Grant  took  up  his 
pen  and  wrote  the  following  : 

"AppoMATxox  C.  H.,  Va.,  April  9th,  1865. 
"Gen.  R.  E.  LEE, 

Comdg  C.  6".  A. 

"  GEN.  :  In  accordance  with  the  substance  of  my  letter  to  you,  of 
the  8th  Inst. ,  I  propose  to  receive  the  surrender  of  the  Army  of  N. 
Va.  on  the  following  terms,  to  wit :  Rolls  of  all  the  officers  and  men 
to  be  made  in  duplicate.  One  copy  to  be  given  to  an  officer  desig 
nated  by  me,  the  other  to  be  retained  by  such  officer  or  officers  as 
you  may  designate.  The  officers  to  give  their  individual  paroles  not 
to  take  up  arms  against  the  Government  of  the  United  States  until 
properly  exchanged,  and  each  company  and  regimental  commander 
to  sign  a  like  parole  for  the  men  of  their  commands.  The  arms, 
artillery  and  public  property  to  be  parked  and  stacked,  and  turned 
over  to  the  officer  appointed  by  me  to  receive  them.  This  will  not 
embrace  the  side  arms  of  the  officers,  nor  their  private  horses  or  bag 
gage.  This  done,  each  officer  and  man  will  be  allowed  to  return  to 
their  homes,  not  to  be  disturbed  by  United  States  authority  so  long 
as  they  observe  their  paroles  and  the  laws  in  force  where  they  may 

reside. 

"Very  Respectfully, 

"U.  S.  GRANT, 

"Z/.  Gen." 


I  84  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

These  terms'*  metfwith  the  ready  assent  of  General 
Lee,  as  from  their  liberal  character  they  could  hardly 
fail  to  do,  and  he  seemed  to  have  regarded  them  as 
generous,  from  what  appears  in  this  statement  by  Gen 
eral  Grant  :  "  When  he  read  over  that  part  of  the  terms 
about  side  arms,  horses  and  private  property  of  officers, 
he  remarked,  with  some  feeling,  I  thought,  that  this 
would  have  a  happy  effect  upon  his  army."  But  Gen 
eral  Grant's  generosity  did  not  end  here.  He  made 
another  concession,  which  breathed  the  soul  of  kindli 
ness  and  magnanimity  toward  the  defeated,  and  which 
might  well  touch,  as  it  doubtless  did,  Lee's  tender  sen 
sibilities,  as  it  challenges  the  approval  of  every  generous 
heart.  This  concession  is  given  in  General  Grant's 
simple  and  expressive  words  : 

"  I  then  said  to  him  that  I  thought  this  would  be  about  the  last 
battle  of  the  war — I  sincerely  hoped  so ;  and  I  said  further,  I  took 
it  that  most  of  the  men  in  the  ranks  were  small  farmers.  The  whole 
country  had  been  so  raided  by  the  two  armies  that  it  was  doubtful 
whether  they  would  be  able  to  put  in  a  crop  to  carry  themselves  and 
their  families  through  the  next  Winter  without  the  aid  of  the  horses 
they  were  then  riding.  The  United  States  did  not  want  them,  and 
I  would,  therefore,  instruct  the  officers  I  left  behind  to  receive  the 
parole  of  his  troops,  to  let  every  man  of  the  Confederate  army  who 
claimed  to  own  a  horse  or  mule  take  the  animal  to  his  own  home. 
Lee  remarked  again  that  this  would  have  a  happy  effect.  He  then 
sat  down  and  wrote  out  the  following  letter  : 

"HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  OF  NORTHERN  VIRGINIA,  ) 

"April  pth,  1865.      } 

"GENERAL:  I  received  your  letter  of  this  date,  containing  the 
terms  of  the  surrender  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  as  proposed 
by  you.  As  they  are  substantially  the  same  as  those  expressed  in 
your  letter  of  the  8th  inst,,  they  are  accepted.  I  will  proceed  to  des 
ignate  the  proper  officers  to  carry  the  stipulations  into  effect. 

"  R.   E.   LEE,  General. 
"Lieu.  General  U.  S.  GRANT." 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.S.    VOLS.  I  85 

On  the  afternoon  of  this  day  the  government  at 
Washington  received  from  General  Grant  a  message 
announcing  Lee's  surrender.  Lee  had  lost,  during  the 
movements  of  his  army,  from  March  26th  to  April  9th> 
about  14,000  men,  killed  and  wounded,  and  25,ooo 
made  prisoners.  The  number  of  men  paroled  was  about 
26,000,  of  whom  not  more  than  9,000  were  found  in 
arms,  while  i5o  cannon  and  71  colors  were  among  the 
trophies  obtained  by  the  Union  army.  As  the  great 
tidings  were  proclaimed,  the  whole  nation  became 
sharers  in  the  joy  of  the  soldiers  in  the  field  that  the 
long  agony  was  over,  and  Peace  had  come  to  cheer  all 
homes  with  its  presence,  and  its  promises  of  restored 
and  abiding  prosperity. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

ALL  CONFEDERATE  ARMIES  YIELD  AFTER  APPOMATTOX — SOLDIERS  LOOKING 

HOMEWARD — THE     PRESIDENT'S     ASSASSINATION A      NATION'S     SORROW 

AND  DISMAY VETERANS  TAKE  SOBER  AND  SENSIBLE  VIEWS  OF    THE   SIT 
UATION THE  ONE  HUNDRED    AND    TWENTIETH    MOVES    SLOWLY   TOWARD 

WASHINGTON SHARES  IN  THE  GRAND    REVIEW    OF    GRANT'S    AND    SHER- 

MAN'S    ARMIES,    ON    THE    230    AND    24TH     OF     MAY — THE     MAGNIFICENT 

SPECTACLE,  AS  SHERMAN  RELATES  IT THE  REGIMENT  EN  ROUTE,    AGAIN 

ENTERTAINED  AT  PHILADELPHIA REACHES  NEW  YORK  AND  ARRIVES    AT 

KINGSTON ENTHUSIASTIC  RECEPTION HONORABLE    T.    R.     WESTBROOK's 

ADDRESS     OF    WELCOME RESPONDED    TO    BY    COLONEL    SHARPE — SWORD 

PRESENTED  TO  COLONEL  LOCKWOOD. 

The  surrender  of  Lee  and  his  army  at  Appomattox, 
followed  by  that  of  Johnston  a  few  days  after,  virtually 
ended  the  war  for  the  Union.  Such  bodies  of  Confed 
erates  as  were  in  arms  in  other  parts  of  the  country, 
ceased  one  by  one  their  hostility  to  the  United  States 
government,  and  gave  in  their  submission  to  it  on  the 
terms  substantially  granted  to  the.  Confederate  Com- 
mander-in-Chief.  The  great  work  which  the  Union 
army  had  gone  forth  to  do  was  fully  accomplished,  in 
the  thorough  putting  down  of  all  armed  resistance  to 
the  national  authority,  and  in  enforcing  obedience  to 
the  laws  over  every  foot  of  the  national  territory.  The 
soldiers'  occupation,  therefore,  as  soldiers  was  thence 
forth  gone.  What  remained  for  them  was  to  return  to 
the  homes  they  had  left,  resume  their  citizen's  garb,  and 
with  Peace  smiling  upon  the  land,  engage  again  in  the 
various  industries  of  civil  life,  which,  in  their  case,  the 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  iS/ 

long-  contest  had  interrupted.  The  happy  change  which 
they  had  longed  for  was  now  near  at  hand,  and  the  joy 
which  they  felt  and  expressed  with  such  heartiness  at 
the  ending  of  the  war,  was  all  the  livelier  by  reason  of 
the  prospect  of  soon  mingling  again  in  the  peaceful 
scenes  and  occupations  of  home-life. 

But  this  wide-spread  joy  was  speedily  displaced  by  a 
grief  and  gloom  no  less  profound  and  extended.  Fol 
lowing  closely  in  the  wake  of  Lee's  surrender,  came  the 
appalling  event  of  the  President's  assassination.  The 
country  lifted  one  day  to  the  loftiest  height  of  triumphal 
exultation,  was  plunged  on  the  next,  as  it  were,  into  the 
deepest  gulf  of  dejection  and  sorrow.  Such  sudden 
extremes,  the  circumstances  attendant  on  each  con 
sidered,  have  hardly  a  parallel  in  the  history  of  nations. 
The  pall  spread  over  the  land  by  the  assassin's  deed, 
made  everything  look  gloomy.  The  public  mind  was 
oppressed  with  a  sense  of  uncertainty  and  foreboding. 
How  if  this  bloody  act,  which  made  a  nation  mourn, 
should  represent  the  spirit  and  thought  of  the  defeated 
section  ;  of  what  use  then  to  grant  terms  of  peace, 
to  those  whose  submission  to  the  government  meant 
nothing  beyond  enforced  obedience  to  a  hated  authority  ? 
But  such  dark  view,  if  held  at  all,  soon  gave  place  to 
brighter  and  more  hopeful  ones.  The  atrocious  deed 
came  to  be  looked  upon  as  that  of  an  individual,  aided 
by  a  few  like-minded  accomplices,  maddened  by  his 
passions  of  hatred  and  revenge  and  as  such  deserving 
only  the  execration  and  abhorrence  of  every  upright 
mind.  No  honest  Confederate  failed  to  see  and  express, 
that  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  death,  the  South  lost  a  friend 
whose  gentle  nature  and  kindly-wise  counsels,  would, 


I  88  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

if  he  had  lived,  have  been  of  inestimable  benefit  to  them 
in  the  future  shaping  of  their  interests.  Our  returning 
soldiers  soon  became  possessed  of  liberal  and  generous 
sentiments  in  regard  to  their  late  foes,  whom,  having 
met  face  to  face  in  open  combat,  they  were  disposed 
now,  that  their  fighting  was  over,  to  befriend  by  kindly 
words  and  offices,  as  General  Grant  had  set  them  the 
example.  Thus  the  fevered  public  pulse  gradually 
recovered  its  tranquil  beat.  The  wheels  of  the  govern 
ment,  often  sorely  tested  before,  suffered  no  clog  from 
the  dreadful  blow  which  struck  down  the  nation's  Chief 
Magistrate  in  a  critical  time.  And  the  disbanding  of 
the  army,  consequent  upon  the  close  of  the  war,  went 
on  as  though  nothing  had  occurred  to  disturb  it. 

The  soldiers  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth 
Regiment,  after  April  the  9th,  realizing  that  their  ser 
vices  in  the  field  were  no  longer  needed,  turned  their 
faces  thenceforth  homeward,  where  their  expected  arri 
val  at  an  early  day  was  awakening  much  pleasurable 
excitement.  A  couple  of  months,  however,  were  to 
intervene  before  expectant  "  lovers  and  friends"  would 
grasp  the  hand  of  their  "  boys  in  blue,"  giving  them  a 
"welcome  home"  with  a  warmth  and  heartiness  that 
would  make  the  day  of  return  an  ever-fragrant  mem 
ory.  This,  however,  will  appear  in  its  proper  place. 
Meanwhile  the  regiment,  after  several  days  of  rest,  fol 
lowing  Lee's  surrender,  began  to  take  its  way  by  slow 
marches  toward  Washington,  en  route  to  its  Northern 
home,  reaching  Manchester,  near  Richmond,  in  the 
early  part  of  May.  It  passed  by  the  late  Confederate 
capital  without  entering  it,  which  was  a  great  disap 
pointment  to  the  men,  who  naturally  had  a  strong  desire 


ONE   HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  189 

to  visit  it,  and  moved  forward  toward  Fredericksburo-. 

& 

Thence,  by  quiet  and  comfortable  marches  of  about 
fifteen  miles  a  day,  it  reached  Alexandria,  within  sight 
of  the  national  capital.  The  regiment  lay  in  camp  here 
awaiting  the  day  appointed  for  a  great  review  in  Wash 
ington,  in  which  it  was  to  share,  of  the  veterans  of 
Grant  and  Sherman,  soon  to  be  discharged  from  the 
service  of  the  country.  Preparations  were  now  making 
for  this  grand  military  display,  which  was  to  take  place 
on  the  23d  and  24th  days  of  May.  On  the  former  of 
these  days  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  headed  by  Gen 
eral  Meade,  was  to  parade  through  the  principal  street 
of  Washington,  while  on  the  24th  General  Sherman 
and  his  army  were  to  march  along  the  same  broad 
avenue,  the  most  magnificent  in  America.  The  expected 
event  had  been  heralded  through  the  press  of  the  coun 
try,  and  immense  numbers  of  people  from  all  parts 
came  thronging  into  Washington  to  witness  the  extra 
ordinary  spectacle,  the  like  of  which  the  eyes  of  the 
American  people  had  never  gazed  upon  before. 

General  Sherman,  in  his  "  Personal  Memoirs,"  has 
given  a  lively  account  of  the  superb  pageant,  some 
extracts  from  which,  for  their  intrinsic  as  well  as  historic 
interest,  may  fittingly  be  inserted  in  the  present  narra 
tive.  The  notice  bestowed  on  the  Army  of  the  Poto 
mac  is  not  so  full  as  the  members  of  that  noble  army 
might  like  to  see.  But  the  General  was  most  concerned 
with  the  record  of  his  own  army,  which  he  had  led  in 
triumph  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea,  and  thence  to  Wash 
ington,  and  it  was  quite  natural  that  these  veterans 
should  occupy  the  main  part  of  his  description.  What 
he  says  of  the  appearance,  marching  and  soldierly  qual- 


I  9O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

ities  of  his  bronzed  and  war-worn  legions,  will  apply 
just  as  well  to  the  gallant  veterans  who  had  fought  and 
conquered  under  Grant's  immediate  command,  and 
therefore  the  whole  account  of  Sherman  is  given  as 
equally  applicable  to  all  the  heroic  men  who,  on  both 
days  of  the  parade  through  Washington,  were  greeted 
with  the  applauding  shouts  of  the  uncounted  multitudes 
which  had  gathered  there  to  gaze  upon  them. 
Says  General  Sherman  : 

''On  the  1 9th,  I  received  a  copy  of  War  Department  Special 
Order,  No.  239,  Adjutant  General's  office,  of  May  i8th,  ordering  a 
grand  review,  by  the  President  and  cabinet,  of  all  the  armies  then  near 
Washington  ;  General  Meade's  to  occur  on  Tuesday,  May  23d,  mine 
on  Wednesday,  the  24th. 

"  By  invitation  I  was  on  the  reviewing  stand,  and  witnessed  the 
review  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  (on  the  23d,)  commanded  by 
General  Meade  in  person.  The  day  was  beautiful  and  the  pageant 
was  superb.  Washington  was  full  of  strangers,  who  filled  the  streets, 
in  holiday-dress,  and  every  house  was  decorated  with  flags.  The 
army  marched  by  division  in  close  column  around  the  Capitol,  down 
Pennsylvania  avenue,  past  the  President  and  cabinet,  who  occupied 
a  large  stand,  prepared  for  the  occasion,  directly  in  front  of  the  White 
House.  During  the  afternoon  and  night  of  the  23d,  the  Fifteenth, 
Seventeenth  and  Twentieth  corps,  crossed  the  long  bridge,  bivouacked 
in  the  streets  about  the  Capitol,  and  the  Fourteenth  Corps  closed  up 
to  the  bridge. 

The  morning  of  the  24th  was  extremely  beautiful,  and  the  ground 
was  in  splendid  order  for  our  review.  The  streets  were  filled  with 
people  to  see  the  pageant,  armed  with  bouquets  of  flowers  for  their 
favorite  regiments  or  heroes,  and  everything  was  propitious. 
Punctually  at  nine  A.  M.,  the  signal-gun  was  fired,  when,  in  person, 
attended  by  General  Howard  and  all  my  staff,  I  rode  slowly  down 
Pennsylvania  avenue,  the  crowds  of  men,  women  and  children, 
densely  lining  the  side-walks  and  almost  obstructing  the  way.  We 
were  followed  closely  by  General  Logan  and  the  head  of  the  Fifteenth 
Corps.  When  I  reached  the  treasury  building  and  looked  back,  the 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH   N,  Y.  S.    VOLS.  I  Q  I 

sight  was  simply  magnificent.  The  column  was  compact,  and  the 
glittering  muskets  looked  like  a  solid  mass  of  steel,  moving  with  the 
regularity  of  a  pendulum.  We  passed  the  treasury  building,  in  front 
of  which  and  the  White  House,  was  an  immense  throng  of  people, 
for  whom  extensive  stands  had  been  prepared  on  both  sides  of  the 
avenue.  As  I  neared  the  brick  house,  opposite  the  lower  corner  of 
Lafayette  Square,  some  one  asked  me  to  notice  Mr.  Seward,  who, 
still  feeble  and  bandaged  for  his  wounds,  had  been  removed  there 
that  he  might  behold  the  troops.  I  moved  in  that  direction  and  took 
off  my  hat  to  Mr.  Seward,  who  sat  in  an  upper  window.  He 
recognized  the  salute,  returned  it,  and  then  we  rode  on  steadily  past 
the  President,  saluting  with  our  swords.  All  on  his  stand  arose  and 
acknowledged  the  salute.  We  left  our  horses  with  orderlies,  went 
upon  the  stand,  where  I  shook  hands  with  the  President,  General 
Grant  and  each  member  of  the  cabinet.  I  then  took  my  post  on  the 
left  of  the  President,  and  for  six  hours  and  a  half  stood,  while  the 
army  passed  in  the  order  of  the  Fifteenth,  Seventeenth,  Twentieth 
and  Fourteenth  corps.  It  was,  in  my  judgment,  the  most  mag 
nificent  army  in  existence — sixty-five  thousand  men,  in  splendid 
physique,  who  had  just  completed  a  march  of  nearly  two  thousand 
miles  in  a  hostile  country,  in  good  drill,  and  who  realized  that  they 
were  being  closely  scrutinized  by  thousands  of  their  fellow-country 
men  and  by  foreigners.  Division  after  division  passed,  each  com 
mander  of  army  corps  or  division  coming  on  the  stand,  during  the 
passage  of  his  command,  to  be  presented  to  the  President,  cabinet 
and  spectators.  The  steadiness  and  firmness  of  the  tread,  the  careful 
dress  on  the  guides,  the  uniform  intervals  between  the  companies, 
all  eyes  directly  to  the  front,  and  the  tattered  and  bullet-riven  flags, 
festooned  with  flowers,  all  attracted  universal  notice.  Many  good 
people,  up  to  that  time,  had  looked  upon  our  Western  army  as  a 
sort  of  mob  ;  but  the  world  then  saw  and  recognized  the  fact,  that  it 
was  an  army  in  the  proper  sense,  well  organized,  well  commanded 
and  disciplined,  and  it  was  no  wonder  that  it  had  swept  through  the 
South  like  a  tornado.  For  six  hours  and  a  half,  that  strong  tread  of 
the  Army  of  the  West,  resounded  through  Pennsylvania  avenue  ;  not 
a  soul  of  that  vast  crowd  of  spectators  left  his  place  ;  and,  when  the 
rear  of  the  column  had  passed  by,  thousands  of  the  spectators  still 
lingered  to  express  their  sense  of  confidence  in  the  strength  of  a  gov 
ernment  which  could  claim  such  an  army." 


192  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

The  regiment  remained  in  the  vicinity  of  Washing 
ton  several  days  after  the  "  grand  review,"  awaiting 
transportation  to  the  North,  which,  on  account  of  the 
great  bodies  of  troops  also  traveling  homeward,  and 
waiting  to  be  transported,  could  not  be  furnished  with 
out  some  delay.  At  length,  on  the  4th  of  June,  in  the 
words  of  an  officer  of  the  regiment,  "  only  after  great 
trouble,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  with  the  men 
packed  like  cattle  in  box  cars,"  the  regiment  rolled 
away  from  Washington,  and  reached  Philadelphia  the 
next  morning.  Here  they  found  a  repetition  of  the  old 
hospitality  which  had  cheered  them,  and  tens  of  thou 
sands  of  their  comrades,  nearly  three  years  before, 
when  on  their  way  to  the  front.  The  doors  of  the 
Union  Soldiers'  House  of  Entertainment,  known  and 
extolled  through  all  the  land,  were  thrown  open  to 
them,  and  they  were  bidden  to  enter  and  partake  of 
the  bountiful  breakfast  spread  before  them  by  the  same 
generous  hosts,  whose  kindness  to  the  defenders  of  the 
nation  seemed  to  know  neither  stint  nor  weariness.  An 
account  in  a  former  chapter*  of  the  character  and  degree 
of  Philadelphia's  hospitable  offices  to  the  soldiers,  ren 
ders  further  detail  in  this  place  unnecessary,  as  the  sol 
diers'  hearty  and  grateful  appreciation  of  these  timely 
courtesies,  thus  repeated,  needs  no  further  description 
to  body  it  forth. 

Leaving  Philadelphia,  the  regiment  arrived  at  New 
York  in  the  evening,  its  progress  from  city  to  city  being 
a  continual  ovation.  Gratitude  to  the  soldiers  on  their 
return,  bearing  as  they  did  the  marks  of  the  battle-fields 

*  See  Chapter  Second. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  193 

through  which  they  had  passed  to  the  crowning  tri 
umph,  effervesced  in  the  popular  heart,  and  found 
-expression  in  spontaneous  shouts  and  cheers.  On 
arriving  at  New  York  the  regiment  was  entertained  by 
the  State,  Colonel  Vincent  Colyer  representing  the 
commonwealth,  as  host.  An  account  of  its  leaving  New 
York,  of  its  passage  to  Kingston  and  its  reception  there 
is  given  by  Chaplain  Hopkins,  who  accompanied  it,  and 
who  thus  pleasantly  describes  what  he  saw  and  shared  : 

"We  were  delayed  till  noon  at  this  place  (New  York),  but  at  last 
we  got  away  and  marched  triumphantly  down  Broadway.  Our 
band  had  been  increased  by  sixteen  pieces  from  the  division  band, 
and  played  splendidly.  Our  flags,  one  tattered  and  small,  and  the 
other  a  new  one,  covered  with  the  names  of  our  battles,  were  cheered 
again  and  again.  We  cleared  the  omnibuses  out  of  the  street  and 
marched  with  company  front.  The  men  marched  splendidly,  and 
Broadway  quieted  its  bustle  for  a  moment  to  look  and  applaud  as 
we  passed  along.  To  our  immense  disgust  we  were  obliged  to  go  to 
Hart's  Island,  twenty  miles  up  the  East  river.  The  regiment  did  not 
.get  away  from  there  until  the  next  noon.  We  came  up  the  Hudson 
on  the  Thomas  Cornell,  an  elegant  boat,  and  were  delightfully  enter 
tained  on  board.  It  was  a  moonlight  night,  and  all  were  happy  as 
we  passed  the  familiar  headlands.  Our  reception  at  Rondout,  the 
following  day,  two  miles  from  Kingston,  was  glorious.  The  town 
was  out  to  greet  the  returning  heroes.  We  were  crowned  with 
flowers;  every. soldier  had  a  bouquet  in  the  muzzle  of  his  gun,  and 
the  officers  were  loaded  down.  The  fire  companies  paraded,  every 
bell  in  town  was  rung,  cannon  were  fired,  and  every  possible  demon 
stration  of  joy  was  indulged  in.  There  was  one  grand  triumphal 
arch  with  inscriptions  of  praise  and  welcome,  over  which  a  live  eagle 
flapped  his  wings,  and  many  smaller  decorations.  The  hotels,  stores 
and  private  houses  vied  with  each  other  in  the  profusion  of  their 
patriotic  adornments.  At  the  Academy  green  a  banquet  was  pro 
vided,  songs  of  welcome  were  sung,  an  oration  of  welcome  pro 
nounced  and  a  fitting  response  made  by  General  Sharpe." 

This  brief  account  conveys  the  regiment  to  Academy 

13 


I  94  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

green,  without  detail  of  some  local  circumstances  which 
stamp  a  special  interest  upon  the  day  and  the  ceremo 
nies  that  crowned  it,  and  which  deserve  a  fuller 
description,  even  though  it  repeat  a  little  what  has  been 
said  before. 

The  citizens  of  Kingston  had  for  several  weeks,  since 
the  war  ended,  been  looking  forward  with  lively  inter 
est  to  the  return  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth. 
A  meeting  had  been  called  to  make  preparations  for  a 
suitable  reception  of  the  regiment.  The  meeting  was 
large  and  enthusiastic.  Colonel  T.  B.  Gates,  of  the  old 
Twentieth,  was  chosen  chairman,  and  P.  Harlow  and  J. 
R.  Poland  secretaries.  A  committee  of  some  forty  was 
appointed  to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  the  meeting.  It 
says,  among  other  things  :  "  We  are  advised  by  tele 
gram  that  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  left  Wash 
ington  on  Sunday  morning.  The  noble  boys  are 
entitled  to  a  magnificent  welcome,  in  consideration  of 
the  battles  they  have  fought,  the  trials  they  have 
endured,  the  heroic  achievements  they  have  won.  Let 
every  one  in  town  and  county  make  ready  to  cheer  the 
brave  hearts  of  those  who  have  stood  up  so  manfully 
and  zealously  in  defense  of  our  national  life  and  liber 
ties.  They  deserve  all  the  honors  we  can  bestow  upon 
them,  as  some  small  indication  at  least,  of  our  gratitude 
and  sense  of  patriotic  obligation." 

The  officers  of  the  day  appointed  for  the  reception 
were  Hon.  William  S.  Kenyon,  President ;  George  F. 
VonBeck,  L.  A.  Sykes,  Jansen  Hasbrouck,  Marius 
Schoonmaker,  W.  H.  Romeyn  and  H.  G.  Crouch,  Vice- 
Presidents ;  Colonel  T.  B.  Gates,  Marshal.  A  proces 
sion  was  arranged,  consisting  of  the  Kingston  Fire 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  1C)  5 

Department,  civic  societies,  schools,  etc.,  General  Sam 
son  and  staff  with  company  L,  Twentieth  New  York 
State  Militia,  and  citizens.  In  Rondout,  Hiram  Schoon- 
maker  and  John  Derrenbacher,  aids  to  the  Marshal,  had 
charge  of  the  line. 

The  regiment  landed  from  the  steamer  Thomas  Cor 
nell,  Friday  morning,  June  Qth.  It  was  saluted  by  the 
Union  gun  squad  and  the  cheers  of  a  large  concourse 
of  citizens,  while  bouquets  were  showered  upon  the 
veterans  like  rain.  Tears  trickled  down  many  a  cheek, 
and  a  thousand  voices  uttering  "  God  bless  you  "  went 
forth  from  overflowing  hearts. 

A  procession  being  formed,  marched  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  town,  through  Rondout  (now  Union)  avenue 
to  St.  James  street.  Here  a  massive  arch,  trimmed 
with  evergreens  and  flowers,  had  been  erected,  and  on 
the  top  of  the  arch  was  a  Temple  of  Liberty,  on  which 
sat  a  live  eagle.  On  one  side  were  names  of  the  prin 
cipal  battles  in  which  the  regiment  had  been  engaged, 
with  the  words  "  Heroes  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth,  Welcome,"  while  on  the  other  side  were  the 
words  "  Union,  Victory,  Peace."  The  order  of  march  was 
then  continued  through  Kingston,  finally  halting  at  the 
Academy  green,  where  a  stand  had  been  erected  for 
the  speakers,  and  a  table,  filled  to  overflowing  with  sub 
stantial  viands,  had  been  spread  out.  The  regiment 
was  formed  in  a  circle  around  the  stand,  and  the  Presi 
dent,  Hon.  W.  S.  Kenyon,  announced  the  opening  of 
the  exercises.  The  first  exercise  was  a  song  entitled 
"  Victory  at  Last,"  sung  by  a  class  of  children.  Prayer 
was  then  offered  by  the  Rev.  John  Lillie,  D.  D.,  after 
which  the  Hon.  Theodoric  R.  Westbrook  was  intro 
duced,  who  made  the  following 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 


ADDRESS. 

General  Sharpe,  Colonel  Lockwoo  d,  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment,  New  York  State  Volunteers  : 

To  me  has  been  confided,  by  the  citizens  of  the  Thirteenth  Con 
gressional  District  of  New  York,  the  pleasant  task  of  bidding  you 
welcome  to  your  homes.  In  discharging  the  duty,  I  confess  at  the 
outset,  the  poverty  of  language  adequately  to  express  their  feeling 
and  mine.  We  remember  this  day,  the  high  and  holy  cause  which, 
nearly  three  years  ago,  caused  you  to  leave  your  homes  and  to  endure 
the  dangers  and  privations  of  a  hundred  battle  fields.  We  remember 
that  that  cause  was  not  one  of  conquest,  nor  of  unholy  ambition, 
but  that  it  was  the  cause  of  our  country  —  of  the  preservation  of  our 
constitution,  the  precious  legacy  of  our  fathers,  and  of  republican 
government.  The  obligation  which  you  then  took,  freely  and  vol 
untarily,  to  serve  your  country  well  and  faithfully,  we  bear  you  wit 
ness  this  day  has  been  most  faithfully  and  honestly  discharged.  In 
proof  of  our  testimony,  we  point  a  world  to  every  principal  battle 
in  which  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  participated,  from  that  of  Fred- 
ericksburg,  in  which  your  valor  was  first  formally  tested,  to  the  grand 
consummation  of  the  surrender  of  Lee  and  the  capture  of  Richmond. 
With  sorrow,  and  yet  with  pride,  we  look  to  your  thinned  ranks,  and 
remember  that  those  who  once  stood  side  by  side  with  you  sleep  in 
honored  graves,  stretching  all  the  way  from  Gettysburg  to  Burksville. 
Hallowed  be  the  ground  where  those,  our  dead  soldiers,  sleep  !  By 
them  we  will  kneel  in  future  days  and  place  thereon  the  wreath  of 
immortelles.  We  point  also  to  those  colors,  weatherbeaten,  tattered 
and  torn  by  shot  and  shell,  but  never  yet  lowered,  and  never  surren 
dered,  and  brought  home  with  you  this  day  as  proud  and  triumphant 
trophies  of  your  valor  and  prowess. 

Brothers  and  friends,  we  welcome  you  as  conquerors  !  No  armed 
traitor  foe  to-day  treads  the  soil  of  the  great  republic.  The  old  flag 
again  floats  from  the  walls  of  Sumter,  where  for  the  first  time  in  its 
history  it  was  compelled  to  be  lowered  ;  and  over  every  inch  of 
national  territory,  from  the  lakes  to  the  Gulf,  from  the  waters  of  the 
stormy  and  boisterous  Atlantic  to  those  of  the  mild  and  gentle  Pacific. 
And  as  we  gaze  upon  its  folds,  as  the  flag  floats  out  upon  the  breezes 
of  heaven,  we  see  every  star  shining  brightly  thereon  as  in  days  of 
yore,  and  every  stripe  untarnished  and  undimmed. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  IQ7 

We  welcome  you  as  heroes  !  Yes,  even  as  our  fathers  in  the 
olden  time  greeted  their  brethren  from  the  fields  of  Lexington  and 
Bunker  Hill,  Saratoga  and  Yorktown,  so  do  we  greet  you.  They 
fought  to  establish  this  government ;  you  to  maintain  and  preserve 
it.  Their  names  are  inscribed  high  up  upon  the  roll  of  fame  ;  yours 
are  written  side  by  side  with  theirs,  and  are  equally  dear  to  us. 
Hereafter,  when  the  virtues  arid  patriotism  of  our  children  need  to 
be  quickened,  we  shall  point  them  to  your  noble  and  heroic  deeds, 
and  ask  them  to  imitate  you.  A  higher  example  than  this  could 
not  be  given,  and  the  world's  history  will  never  furnish  a  purer  or 
better. 

We  welcome  you  as  our  sons,  brothers  and  kinsmen  !  We  are 
not  only  proud  but  happy  this  day  at  your  return  to  us.  The  old 
seat  at  the  family  table,  and  the  old  chair  around  the  family  fireside, 
shall,  thank  God,  be  again  occupied.  Sit  down,  weary  ones,  who 
have  borne  the  heat  and  burden  of  these  days  of  battle  and  carnage, 
under  your  own  vine  and  fig  tree,  and  repeat  to  us  the  history  of  the 
thrilling  events  in  which  you  so  nobly  shared.  The  tear  of  gratified 
affection  will  start  unbidden  from  the  eye,  as  you  rehearse  to  us  how, 
with  numbers  inferior  to  his,  you  met  the  invading  foe  at  Gettysburg, 
sending  him  reeling  and  broken  back  to  Virginia,  thus  contributing 
to  make  the  fourth  day  of  July,  1863,  ever  memorable  in  history.  Tell 
us  of  these  terrible  battles  in  the  Wilderness,  at  Spotsylvania,  and  at 
Cold  Harbor,  and  in  the  trenches  around  Petersburg  and  Richmond, 
and  as  we  hear  your  loud  shouts  of  victory  re-shouted,  we  will  fold 
you  in  our  arms  of  love,  remembering  that  we  are  honored  in  you, 
who  are  "bone  of  our  bone,  and  flesh  of  our  flesh."  Freely  disclose 
to  us  the  proud  feeling  of  duty  faithfully  discharged  you  experienced 
when,  a  few  days  ago,  you  marched  in  triumph  through  the  national 
capital,  your  soldierly  bearing  witnessed  with  admiration  by  the 
President,  your  commanding  General -and  thousands  of  your  fellow 
countrymen.  Tell  us  how  you  felt,  with  the  sunshine  of  victory 
lighting  up  your  bronzed  features,  as  you  gazed  upon  the  representa 
tives  of  emperors  and  kings,  looking  in  dismay  upon  these  republican 
bayonets  which  had  carried  victory  over  half  a  continent,  and  crushed 
out  treason  forever  with  the  strong  arm  of  loyal  citizen-soldiers. 
Fear  not  that  we  shall  weary  with  the  recital,  for  as  the  General 
whose  name  you  have  made  immortal  looked  with  an  eye  of  pride 
upon  your  soldier  tread,  and  saw  reflected  in  yours  the  same  bright 


198  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

light  of  triumphant  feeling,  our  hearts  beat  in  sympathy  with  yours, 
for  it  was  kindred  blood  coursing  there. 

Finally,  we  welcome  you  to  share  our  last  acre,  and  our  last  loaf. 
That  we  possess  them  is  owing  to  your  bravery  and  fidelity.  Vou 
stood  between  us  and  the  traitor  foe.  Your  bodies  were  the  ram 
parts  which  sheltered  us  and  our  loved  ones  on  the  day  of  battle  and 
of  death.  Peace,  blessed  peace,  thank  God  !  lights  up  our  mountain 
tops,  and  its  bright  rays  are  reflected  in  our  valleys  and  glitter  upon 
our  lakes  and  our  rivers.  In  presence  of  these  assembled  thousands, 
we  acknowledge  you  as  the  instruments  of  that  kind  Providence, 
which  have  produced  this  grand  result,  and  saved  republican  liberty 
for  an  oppressed  world.  Rest,  brethren,  kinsmen,  friends,  from  your 
labors,  and  may  the  Great  Supreme  make  the  remainder  of  your  days 
as  peaceful  and  as  happy,  as  your  past  days  have  been  glorious  and 
sublime. 

This  address,  which  was  listened  to  with  deep  atten 
tion  by  the  assembled  multitude,  was  appropriately 
responded  to  in  behalf  of  the  regiment,  by  General 
Sharpe,  who  then,  by  request,  presented  an  elegant 
sword,  the  gift  of  the  citizens  of  Kingston,  to  Colonel 
Abram  L.  Lockwood,  who  had  been  in  command  of  the 
regiment  since  the  resignation  of  Colonel  Tappen, 
before  Petersburg.  Colonel  Lockwood,  in  fitting  terms, 
expressed  his  grateful  acknowledgements.  Alter  this, 
a  prayer  was  offered  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Osborne,  and  the 
ceremonies  of  a  day,  fraught  with  interest  and  pleasure, 
alike  to  soldiers  and  citizens,  were  brought  to  a  close. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

AFTER  THE  WAR — SOLDIERS  CHANGED  INTO  CIVILIANS — CAMP  HABITS  AS 
AFFECTING  CHARACTER  AND  LIFE  AT  HOME — FEARS  OF  EVIL  FROM  THIS 
SOURCE  NOT  REALIZED — UNION  VETERANS'  CREDITABLE  RECORD  IN 

PEACE  AS  IN  WAR REGIMENTAL  UNION    FORMED    BY   THE    VETERANS    OF 

THE  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH ANNUAL  REUNIONS  HELD— 
ADDRESSES  DELIVERED  BY  NOTED  GENERALS  AND  CIVILIANS — LETTER 
OF  GENERAL  SHERMAN THE  REGIMENTAL  UNION  AIDS  IN  CONTRI 
BUTIONS  FOR  SOLDIERS'  BENEFIT — MEMORIAL  OBSERVANCE  IN  HONOR  OF 

COLONEL     TAPPEN TRIBUTES     BY    GENERALS    GEORGE    W.     SHARPE    AND 

THEODORE  B.    GATES. 

The  change  from  soldier  to  civilian,  on  the  part  of 
the  hosts  who  had  for  several  years  formed  the  army  of 
the  Union,  marked  a  sharp  transition.  It  was  a  change 
easily  accomplished.  It  brought  joy  to  the  soldier's 
heart,  and  to  the  heart  of  a  nation  wearied  with  the 
war  and  yearning  for  peace.  It  seemed  full  of  promise 
for  the  future  well-being  and  interests  of  the  various 
localities  from  which  the  soldiers  had  been  drawn,  and 
to  which  their  return  would  impart  fresh  animation, 
.activity  and  strength. 

All  this  was  a  reasonable  presumption.  Yet  fears 
were  entertained  by  some  that  the  disbanded  soldiers 
distributed  among  the  communities  of  the  land,  might 
not  prove  an  unmitigated  benefit.  The  life  in  camp 
and  field  had  been  widely  different  from  that  which  the 
men  .had  led  before  enlistment.  Tastes  and  habits 
might  have  been  acquired  in  several  years'  campaigning, 


2OO  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N,  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

not  to  be  laid  aside  as  easily  as  the  soldier's  uniform. 
These  tastes  and  habits  might  be  such  as  to  unfit  men 
for  the  sturdy,  every-day  employments  of  industrial  life. 
The  noise,  bustle  excitement  and  frequent  moving  to 
and  fro,  attendant  on  soldier  life,  might  have  a  factitious 
and  unsettling  influence,  and  serve  to  render  the  quiet, 
steady  and  fixed  occupations  of  home-life,  distasteful  if 
not  irksome. 

The  soldier's  daily  maintenance  in  the  field,  more 
over,  being  provided  without  toil  or  forethought  on  his 
own  part,  a  strong  stimulant  to  personal  exertion  for 
support,  is  taken  away.  The  condition  of  getting  sup 
plies  from  the  government  without  personal  concern  or 
effort  on  the  soldier's  part  to  provide  them,  may  be 
difficult  to  break  or  change  on  a  return  to  the  ordinary 
tasks  of  civil  life.  Hard  service  in  the  field,  with  hard 
and  sometimes  precarious  fare,  has  tempted  soldiers  to 
pillage  and  to  take  an  enemy's  property  with  the  strong 
hand  when  opportunity  offered,  regarding  this  as  right, 
or  at  least,  not  a  grievous  wrong.  This  propensity  may 
cling  to  a  man  after  the  soldier's  harness  has  been  laid 
aside,  making  him  a  not  very  desirable  member  of 
society.  Shut  out  for  years  from  the  refinements  of 
home  and  female  society,  daily  conversant  with  wounds, 
bloodshed  and  death  on  a  large  scale,  hearing  irreve 
rent,  vulgar  and  profane  language — tend  all  of  them,  to 
make  men  long  exposed  to  such  influences,  coarse  and 
rude  in  their  manners,  steeled  against  human  suffering 
and  regardless  of  moral  restraints.  And  should  habits 
of  this  kind  have  been  formed,  and  carried  into  order- 
loving  and  God-fearing  communities,  the  effect  for  evil 
might  prove  very  deleterious. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2OI 

These  unhappy  consequences  of  long  wars  have  fre 
quently  been  pointed  out  as  constituting  not  the  least 
of  the  tremendous  evils  growing  out  of  them,  and  such 
results  have  certainly  marked  many  of  the  great  wars  of 
the  past.  And  the  prediction  of  many  thoughtful 
people  seemed  warranted,  that  similar  results  would  be 
witnessed  again  at  the  close  of  our  recent  great  conflict. 

But  the  fact  has  not  verified  the  prediction.  The 
great  mass  of  our  soldiers,  when  their  services  in  the 
field  were  over,  resumed,  with  good  will  and  resolute  pur 
pose,  the  various  pursuits  of  peaceful  industry  which 
opened  to  them,  and  which  many  had  simply  laid  aside, 
for  a  time,  while  they  obeyed  the  call  to  take  up  arms 
in  the  country's  defense.  Whether  the  sacred  cause  in 
which  they  had  enlisted  so  elevated  their  sentiments 
and  whole  course,  or  the  high  character  of  the  citizen- 
soldier  volunteers  forming  the  bulk  of  the  nation's 
superb  army,  so  guarded  them  against  depraving  seduc 
tions,  or  whether  their  previous  education  or  home-sur 
roundings  had  made  them  "  steadfast  and  immovable" 
in  the  right  path — whether  each  or  all  of  these  produced 
the  result,  it  is  certain  that  the  soldiers  of  the  war,  for 
the  most  part,  returned  from  it  as  they  went  into  it,  not 
simply  loyal  and  true  to  the  country,  this  was  a  matter 
of  course,  but  as  brave,  honest,  high-minded,  self- 
respecting  men,  ready  to  take  their  places  among  the 
toilers  of  the  land,  to  promote,  in  common  with  all  good 
citizens,  the  highest  good  of  community. 

There  may  be,  and  no  doubt  are,  exceptions  to  this 
pleasing  representation,  but  the  rule  is  as  I  have 
described  it.  And  for  an  illustration  of  this  statement, 
it  needs  only  to  look  upon  the  veterans  of  the  One 


2O2  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment,  as  they  gather  year 
after  year,  on  the  22cl  day  of  February,  at  their  annual 
reunion,  to  be  convinced  how  faithfully  and  successfully 
the  various  offices  of  civil  life  have  been  performed  by 
the  men,  who,  a  few  years  ago,  stood  in  the  ranks  among 
the  country's  armed  hosts.  And  what  is  true  of  the 
regiment  referred  to,  is  true  of  the  representatives  of  the 
thousand  regiments  which  are  wont  to  assemble  periodi 
cally,  all  over  the  North  and  West,  to  celebrate  a  strug 
gle  and  a  triumph  in  which  all  bore  a  part. 

This  Regimental  Union  referred  to,  deserves  to 
occupy  a  little  space  in  the  present  narrative.  It  was 
not  formed  directly  on  the  close  of  the  war,  but  a  few 
years  afterwards.  The  propriety  of  forming  such  Union , 
had  been  considered  from  time  to  time,  and  an  earnest 
desire  expressed  by  former  members  of  the  regiment  to 
effect  it,  and  at  length,  as  a  result  of  a  published  call,  a 
meeting  of  a  number  of  its  late  officers  was  held  on 
December  26th,  1868,  at  Hauver's  Hotel,  Kingston. 
The  chairman  of  the  meeting,  Colonel  George  H. 
Sharpe,  stated  the  object  of  it  to  be,  the  formation  of  a 
regimental  association  ;  whereupon,  on  motion  of  Colonel 
Tappen,  it  was  resolved  that  the  name  for  the  associa 
tion  should  be,  "  The  •  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth 
New  York  Regimental  Union."  On  farther  motion 
of  Colonel  Tappen,  it  was  "  ordered,  that  all  persons 
who  have  held  commissions  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth  Regiment,  and  have  been  honorably  dis 
charged  therefrom,  are  eligible  for  membership  in  this 
temporary  organization."  A  farther  resolution  offered 
by  Major  Everett  and  carried,  provided,  that  "  all  men 
who  were  at  any  time  honorably  discharged  from  the 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2O^ 

\J 

service  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment, 
New  York  Volunteers,  shall  be  eligible  for  membership 
in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  New  York  Regi 
mental  Union." 

To  effect  a  permanent  organization,  a  committee,  con 
sisting  of  Major  Everett,  Colonel  Tappen  and  Lieu 
tenant  Lockwood,  was  appointed  to  make  nominations 
for  officers. 

The  committee  reported  and  the  following  officers 
were  chosen  and  the  organization  completed : 

President — General  Sharpe. 

Chaplain — H.  H.  Hopkins. 

Corresponding  Sec'y — Lieutenant   J.  H.   Lockwood. 

Recording  Sec'y — Adjutant  Russell. 

Treasurer — Colonel  Tappen. 

DIRECTORS. 

Colonel  Lockwood,  Colonel  Westbrook,  Colonel 
Scott,  Captain  Snyder,  Captain  Holmes,  Lieutenant 
Greene,  Lieutenant  Rosa,  Lieutenant  Drake  and 
Major  Thomas. 

A  committee,  consisting  of  General  Sharpe,  Colonel 
Westbrook  and  Colonel  Lockwood,  was  appointed  to 
draft  a  Constitution  and  By-laws,  to  be  reported  at  the 
next  meeting  of  the  association. 

The  next  meeting  was  held  at  Music  Hall,  Kingston, 
December  I4th,  1869,  at  which  the  Vice-President. 
Colonel  Westbrook,  presided,  who  opened  its  proceed 
ings  with  prayer.  The  committee  appointed  at  a  former 
meeting  to  draft  a  Constitution  and  By-laws  for  the 
association  reported.  The  work  of  the  committee  was 


2O4  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

approved,  and  a  series  of  laws  and  regulations  for  the 
government  of  the  members  adopted,  which  the  asso 
ciation  found,  and  has  continued  to  find,  adapted  to  all 
the  purposes  for  which  the  organization  was  formed. 

The  Regimental  Union  has  held  regular  annual 
meetings  from  the  time  of  its  formation  till  the  present. 
These  meetings  have  been  uniformly  well  attended,  and 
have  proved  reunions  of  great  interest  and  pleasure  to 
the  veterans,  many  of  whom  living  widely  apart,  have 
found  these  seasons  the  only  opportunity  of  the  year  for 
greeting  comrades,  having  so  many  memories  in  com 
mon  of  the  eventful  past.  The  appointed  time  for  the 
annual  meeting  was  at  first,  the  i3th  of  December,  the 
day  of  the  Fredericksburg  battle.  This  was  afterwards 
changed  to  February  the  22d,  Washington's  birth-day 
anniversary,  which,  for  several  years  past  has  been  the 
day  of  the  gathering.  Several  of  these  occasions  have 
been  marked  by  the  presence  of  prominent  actors  in  the 
war,  or  men  distinguished  in  other  walks  of  life,  by 
whom  addresses  were  given,  to  the  delight  of  the  vet 
erans  as  well  as  of  the  audience  composed  of  citizens  from 
without,  brought  together  to  hear  them.  Thus,  at  the 
meeting  in  1868,  the  Rev.  H.  H.  Hopkins,  the  former 
honored  chaplain  of  the  regiment,  delivered  an  address, 
followed  by  the  redoubtable  warrior,  General  Hooker, 
who  was  present  as  a  guest  on  the  occasion.  In  1871, 
the  annual  meeting  was  addressed  by  the  dashing  and 
renowned  cavalry  leader,  General  Judson  Kilpatrick. 
At  the  next  reunion  in  1872,  which  was  held  at  Catskill, 
the  gallant  soldier  and  commander,  General  Stewart  L. 
Woodford,  pronounced  the  oration.  In  1876,  the 
reunion  took  place  at  Rondout,  the  members  being 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH   N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2O5 

welcomed  by  Mayor  Lindsley,  and  the  eloquent  lec 
turer  and  divine,  the  Rev.  E.  H.  Chapin,D.  D.,  deliver 
ing  a  lecture  on  John  Hampden.  On  the  next  year, 
1877,  at  Kingston,  the  famous  John  B.  Gough,  lectured 
before  the  association,  At  the  annual  meeting,  Feb 
ruary  22d,  1888,  a  public  entertainment  was  given  by 
the  Regimental  Union,  at  the  Armory,  an  admission 
fee  for  a  patriotic  object  being  asked.  The  orator  of  the 
evening,  was  General  Stewart  L.  Woodford,  followed 
by  an  address  from  the  illustrious  leader  of  the  "  March 
to  the  Sea,"  General  W.  Tecumseh  Sherman,  whose 
presence  and  speech  aroused  much  enthusiasm.  His 
letter  in  reply  to  the  invitation  to  visit  Kingston 
and  address  the  veterans  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth,  at  their  annual  reunion,  is  so  characteristic, 
and  interesting  in  itself  and  its  association  with  the 
writer's  great  name,  that  every  reader  will  thank  the 
courtesy  that  has  furnished  it  for  publication,  as  it  now 
appears  for  the  first  time  : 

"  FIFTH  AVENUE  HOTEL,  N.  Y.,  ) 
January  I5th,  Sunday.      ) 

"  DEAR  GENERAL  SHARPE  : 

"  I  have  your  most  kind  letter  of  yesterday,  and  assure  you  that 
with  reasonable  care  for  my  personal  comfort,  I  am  more  than  willing 
to  do  all  a  veteran  should  for  the  comrades  of  earlier  and  better 
days. 

"On  examining  my  book  of  engagements,  which  resembles  that 
of  a  dentist,  I  find  that  on  February  2ist,  I  am  promised  to  attend 
the  Association  of  Harvard  Graduates,  at  Delmonico's  ;  that  I  am 
not  committed  for  the  night  of  February  22d,  a  most  appropriate 
day  for  you  at  Kingston  ;  therefore,  put  me  down  for  the  chances. 

"  Don't  dwell  so  much  on  the  pretty  girls.  I  have  had  my  day, 
and  must  surrender  them  to  younger  fellows,  but  count  on  me 


2O6  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

because  of  love  for  you  and  other  comrades  which  grows  in  strength 
with  years. 

"It  is  just  to  you,  however,  to  state  that  I  have  my  share  of  family 
troubles  unknown  to  the  world.  Mrs.  Sherman  is  not  well  ;  is  now 
with  my  daughter  Rachael  on  a  visit  to  our  married  daughter,  Mrs. 
Fitch,  at  Pittsburgh,  intending  to  be  back  here  February  ist.  Her 
illness  alarms  me  at  times  and  may  compel  me  to  keep  near  her. 

"Also  my  sister's  husband,  Colonel  Moulton,  is  now  at  the  Arno 
House,  critically  ill,  keeping  us  in  a  nervous  state. 

"  But  if  able,  I  will  come  to  Kingston  by  the  West  Shore  line,  on 
the  train  which  leaves  Weehawken  at  11:45  A-  M->  and  arrives  at 
Kingston,  at  2:35  p.  M.,  after  which  I  shall  depend  on  you  to  send 
me  back  to  Weehawken  the  next  day,  ice  and  the  acts  of  God  always 
excepted. 

"  Inasmuch  as  I  was  born  in  February,  I  cannot  reproach  George 
Washington  for  appearing  at  such  an  inhospitable  period  of  the  year 
in  northern  latitudes,  subjecting  his  admirers  to  such  contingencies, 
but  the  probabilities  are  I  shall  be  on  time." 

Your  friend, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN. 

The  audience  drawn  together  on  this  occasion,  was, 
it  need  hardly  be  said,  as  large  as  it  was  enthusiastic. 
The  proceeds  of  the  meeting,  amounting  to  $25o,  were 
given  to  the  Ulster  County  Soldiers'  Monument  Asso 
ciation,  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  in  the  erection  of  a 
monument  in  honor  of  the  soldiers  and  sailors  of  the 
county.  The  work  was  then  in  progress,  and  has  since 
been  completed,  the  monument,  an  ornament  to  the 
city  and  a  credit  to  the  county,  standing  in  front  of  the 
city  hall. 

The  members  of  the  regimental  Union,  in  addition  to 
their  annual  winter  meeting,  have  been  wont  to  enjoy 
a  summer  picnic,  since  18/9,  on  the  22d  of  August  of 
which  year,  the  first  one  was  held  at  Binnewater,  and 
was  addressed  by  General  George  H.  Sharpe.  These 


ONE   HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y,  S.    VOLS.  2O/ 

meetings  in  the  open  air,  cheered  by  the  sights  and 
sounds,  with  which  prodigal  Nature  regales  those  who 
seek  and  love  her  society,  have  proved  so  enjoyable 
that  none  have  wished  to  discontinue  them. 

The  meeting  of  the  Union,  on  February  22cl,  i88i> 
was  held  at  the  Armory,  at  the  invitation  of  Pratt  Post, 
which  was  holding  at  that  time,  an  Army  Fair,  the  avails 
of  which  were  to  be  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  Post, 
and  to  the  benevolent  objects  which  the  Post  was 
organized  to  promote.  The  membership  of  Pratt  Post, 
one  of  the  largest  and  most  efficient  Posts  in  the  state, 
is  composed,  to  a  considerable  extent,  of  the  veterans 
who  formerly  served  in  the  regiments  that  went  forth 
from  Ulster  County.  The  members  of  the  One  Hun 
dred  and  Twentieth  Regimental  Union,  therefore,  took 
a  lively  interest  in  the  success  of  the  Pratt  Post  Army 
Fair,  responding  cordially  to  the  invitation  to  be  pres 
ent,  and  co-operate  in  carrying  out  the  worthy  object  it 
was  seeking  to  promote.  The  fair  was  a  successful 
one,  bringing  twenty -five  hundred  dollars  into  the 
treasury  of  the  Post,  showing  how  warmly  the  sympathy 
and  good  will  of  the  public  were  enlisted  in  its  favor. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Association,  in  1889,  a  paper 
on  Gettysburg,  at  the  request  of  the  Union  made  at  a 
former  meeting,  was  read  by  Colonel  C.  D.  Westbrook, 
who  commanded  the  regiment  on  July  2d,  1863.  The 
paper  was  a  carefully  prepared,  discriminating  and 
accurate  account  of  whatever  pertained  to  the  position, 
action  and  surroundings  of  the  regiment,  in  its  engage 
ment  on  that  celebrated  field.  It  was  listened  to  with 
marked  attention  and  interest  by  the  members  of  the 
Association  ;  and,  at  the  dedication  of  the  monument  to 


2O8  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth,  at  Gettysburg,  in 
1889,  to  be  noticed  hereafter,  the  orator  of  the  day, 
General  Sharpe,  speaks  of  his  having  availed  himself 
freely  of  Colonel  Westbrook's  statements  as  reliable 
authority  for  many  of  his  own  descriptions  of  the  battle. 

The  first  annual  meeting  of  the  Association,  .held 
after  the  time  of  meeting  was  changed  to  February  2?d, 
was  in  1875,  at  which  time,  the  proceedings  were  of 
peculiar  interest,  embracing  a  memorial  observance  in 
honor  of  Colonel  J.  Rudolph  Tappen,  then  recently 
deceased,  and  for  a  long  time,  the  honored  and 
beloved  commander  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twen 
tieth  Regiment.  Appropriate  and  touching  tributes 
were  paid  to  his  merits  and  memory,  by  Generals 
Sharpe  and  Gates,  and  Honorable  T.  R.  Westbrook. 
The  report  of  Judge  Westbrook's  remarks  has  not  been 
preserved.  From  the  published  address  of  General 
Sharpe  and  from  that  of  General  Gates,  a  brief  extract 
from  each,  all  that  our  limits  will  allow,  is  subjoined  in 
honor  of  one  whose  life  was  so  beautiful  and  death  so 
widely  deplored,  and  these  short  notices  will  form  an 
appropriate  close  to  the  present  chapter. 

After  portraying  in  fitting  and  felicitous  words  the 
military  career  of  Colonel  Tappen,  till  he  resigned  his 
command  of  the  regiment,  General  Sharpe  adds : 

"  Probably  no  better  field  officer  left  the  army  that  day,  or  any  other 
day  during  the  war.  He  was  admirably  fitted  to  command  a  brigade 
and  would  have  made  his  mark  where  so  many  failed.  * 
Colonel  Tappen  returned  home  to  succeed  in  winning  in  civil  life, 
the  same  love  and  admiration  which  he  had  excited  among  his  com 
rades.  Soon  after  his  marriage,  he  was  induced  by  gentle  influences 
to  connect  himself  with  a  church  which  had  not  been  the  church  of 
his  fathers,  and  to  it  he  gave  the  loyalty  that  he  displayed  in  the 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2OQ 

interest  of  all  his  undertakings.  From  that  time  to  the  day  of  his 
death,  his  story  is  as  well  known  to  all  of  you  as  it  is  to  myself. 

11  Honored  and  respected  in  his  business  relations,  his  word  the 
strongest  obligation  that  he  could  make,  every  action  distinguished  by 
truth  and  honor,  choosing  the  best  side  of  every  question  that  was 
presented,  engaging  in  every  good  work,  firm  in  his  convictions,  and 
yet  amiable  in  all  his  social  relations,  he  leaves  the  record  of  a  char 
acter  singularly  spotless  and  well-balanced.  He  was  always  able  to 
correct  those  who  were  under  him,  without  leaving  a  sting  to  follow 
the  reproof,  and  his  army  recollections  were  continually  flowing  out 
in  graceful  tributes  to  his  comrades.  Soon  struck  down  by  disease, 
the  seeds  of  which  he  had  brought  from  the  army,  he  began  that  man 
ful  contest  of  four  years,  during  which  he  contested  every  inch  of  the 
ground  with  the  enemy.  In  his  last  hours,  he  said  to  me,  in  a  faint 
voice,  'there  is  not  much  left  of  me,  but  I  mean  to  fight  it  out  to  the 
last  minute/ 

"  His  disease  sometimes  overpowered  him  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
cause  his  mind  to  wander,  and  then  his  memories  all  reverted  to  the 
old  Army  of  the  Potomac.  How  many  times  he  fought  over  some 
of  the  battle-fields  !  so  often,  indeed,  that  the  one  who  was  nearest 
in  attendance  upon  him,  is  as  familiar  with  these  fights  as  if  she  had 
personally  participated  in  them.  But  waking  or  in  dreams,  his  words 
were  full  of  trust  in  God  and  affection  for  his  comrades." 

General  Gates,  who  on  Colonel  Pratt's  death,  suc 
ceeded  to  the  command  of  the  "  Ulster  Guard,"  the 
Twentieth  N.  Y.  S.  M.,  a  company  in  which  regiment 
Colonel  Tappen  had  commanded,  pays  this  warm  and 
graceful  tribute  to  the  worth  of  his  former  associate  : 

"  His  disposition  was  social  and  genial,  and  it  was  pleasant  to  see 
his  handsome  and  intelligent  face  in  tent  or  by  bivouac  fire,  on  the 
march  or  picket  line.  It  gave  or  took  a  welcome  with  a  smile  almost 
womanly  in  its  sweetness.  And  yet,  that  face  could  on  occasion, 
express  the  sternest  resolution,  the  severest  rebuke  and  the  most 
determined  courage. 

"  I  do  not  think  Colonel  Tappen  was  ever  affected  by  the  senti 
ment  of  fear.  He  appreciated,  as  other  intelligent  men  did,  the  dan- 

14 


2  I O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

gers  of  the  battle-field,  but  never  with  a  sense  of  timidity.  If,  knowing 
the  danger,  and  yet  calmly  confronting  it,  and  exercising  in  the 
midst  of  it,  every  faculty  of  the  mind,  and  improving  every  circum 
stance,  the  shifting  scenes  of  the  conflict  may  present  to  gain  a  vantage 
point  against  your  foe,  and  by  your  demeanor  to  inspire  your  men 
with  confidence,  be  the  highest  type  of  courage ;  this  Colonel 
Tappen  had,  in  a  marked  degree.  He  never  lost  his  mental 
equilibrium,  never  got  flurried  under  fire,  or  showed  signs  of  con 
scious  danger  or  apprehension  of  defeat.  In  all  the  qualities  of  mind 
that  constitute  a  man,  a  courage  inspiring,  discreet  and  reliable 
officer  on  the  battle-field,  Colonel  Tappen  was  unusually  well 
equipped. 

"  In  the  pride  of  his  strength  and  unimpaired  manhood,  he  met 
and  discharged  every  duty  faithfully,  intelligently,  conscientiously. 
In  these  later  years,  when  suffering  and  decrepitude  had  stripped 
him  of  his  vigor,  and  made  him  less  than  a  child  in  weakness  and 
dependence,  he  was  patient,  submissive,  uncomplaining.  Thus, 
having  been  honorable  and  just  in  all  his  relations  as  a  man,  brave 
and  loyal  as  a  soldier,  gentle  and  affectionate  as  a  husband  and  a 
father,  he  ennobled  and  beautified  the  closing  years  of  his  life  by  a 
devoted  and  consistent  service  in  the  ranks  of  that  great  army  whose 
weapons  are  not  carnal,  and  whose  Captain  is  the  Lord, 


BATTLE   MONUMENT  AT   GETTYSBURG. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

GETTYSBURG    AND    ITS    MONUMENTS THE    GREAT    BATTLE-FIELD    GROWING 

IN   THE    NATION'S    REGARD — THE    NATIONAL   CEMETERY — THE   UNION 

SOLDIERS  BURIED  THERE THEIR  GRAVES  HONORED  AND  CHERISHED 

MONUMENT  TO  THE  SOLDIERS  OF  THE  I  2OTH  WHO  FELL  AT  GETTYSBURG 
— SURVIVING  COMRADES  REVISIT  THE  FIELD — DEDICATION  OF  THE 
MONUMENT — GENERAL  SHARPED  ORATION WILL  CARLETON's  POEM. 

The  field  of  Gettysburg  can  never  lose  the  interest 
which  attracts  to  it,  by  an  overpowering  magnetism, 
every  patriotic  heart  throughout  the  country.  The 
battle  fought  there  was  the  greatest  in  our  history,  in 
the  numbers  engaged,  in  the  length  and  desperate  char 
acter  of  the  conflict,  and  in  the  losses,  whose  effect 
reached  out  to  nearly  every  household  in  the  land. 
Great  as  these  last  were,  the  issues  decided  on  that  his 
toric  field  were  greater  and  more  momentous  still.  The 
invasion  of  the  North,  involving  in  its  complete  success 
the  direst  disasters  to  the  nation,  was  decisively  checked 
and  rolled  back.  The  hopes  of  the  Southern  Confeder 
acy  to  secure  a  separate  government  with  the  nations 
to  recognize  it,  as  the  result  of  a  great  victory  won  there, 
were  irretrievably  blasted.  The  continuance  of  a  nation, 
one  and  indivisible,  growing  in  strength  and  prosperity 
through  its  unity,  as  opposed  to  two  nations  subjected 
to  constant  discords  and  collisions,  with  decay  and  ruin 
in  the  end  for  both,  was  here  virtually  decided.  On 
this  ground  the  cause  of  the  Free  Institutions  was  sig 
nally  vindicated,  the  knell  of  slavery  throughout  the 


2  I  2  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

land  was  rung,  and  the  Union  of  all  the  States  under 
one  Government,  as  essential  to  the  life  and  welfare  of 
the  whole,  were  all  proclaimed,  and  made  sure  for  the 
coming  generations.  Such  gains  as  these  secured  by 
the  gigantic  struggle  running  through  the  first,  second 
and  third  days  of  July,  1863,  well  deserve  to  lift  Gettys 
burg  into  the  preeminence  it  occupies  among  those 
historic  places,  which  most  strongly  rivet  upon  them 
the  craze  of  the  world. 

<_> 

Such  world-renowned  places  are  wont  to  be  distin 
guished  by  suitable  memorials,  as  Bunker  Hill  by  the 
imposing  granite  shaft  which  surmounts  the  spot  hal 
lowed  by  the  Revolutionary  struggle  there,  Saratoga 
and  Bennington  by  the  noble  monuments  which  record 
the  achievements  of  the  patriotic  fathers,  and  so  of  many 
fields  celebrated  for  kindred  deeds.  The  commanding 
place  which  Gettysburg  holds  in  the  national  regard,  is 
attested  by  the  multitude  of  monuments  spread  all  over 
the  ground,  trampled  by  the  combatants  in  those  terri 
ble  clays  that  the  great  conflict  raged,  as  if  the  whole 
nation,  rescued  from  its  perils,  turned  its  eyes  instinc 
tively  to  the  one  spot  where  the  decisive  blow  that 
secured  triumph  to  the  Union  cause,  was  struck,  and 
where  honors  should  be  paid  in  some  proportion,  at 
least,  to  the  benefits  conferred.  This  seemed  to  be  the 
sentiment  and  feeling  of  the  country.  And  according 
ly,  soon  after  the  war  closed  the  work  of  monument- 
building  began.  Representatives  of  all  the  loyal  States 
participated  in  it,  as  all  these  States  had  soldiers  in  the 
ranks  in  the  great  battle,  many  of  whom  returned  no 
more  to  the  homes  from  which  they  had  gone  forth  to 
the  war.  The  work  went  on  from  year  to  year  until 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2  I  3 

the  whole  ground  on  which  the  three  days'  battles  were 
fought,  came  to  be  studded  with   monuments.     From 
the  points  where  the  first  day's  attacks  were  made,  west 
and  north  of  Gettysburg,  all  along  Cemetery  Ridge  to 
the    Round    Tops,    including   the    tk  Peach    Orchard," 
"  Wheat  Field  "  and  "  Devil's  Den  "  at  their  front,  em 
bracing  a  circumference  of  eight  or  ten  miles,  monu 
ments  mark  the  spots  where  Union  regiments,  brigades, 
cavalry  squadrons,  batteries,  etc.,  engaged  in  the  con 
flict,  or  where  some  noted  leader  laid  down  his  life  for 
the  country.     These  monuments    erected  by    the  sur 
vivors  and  friends  of  the  various  commands,  sometimes 
by  the    counties  or    States  whence    the  soldiers  were 
drawn,  present  a  wondrous  variety  of  design  and  ap 
pearance.      Many    of  them    are  elaborate  and    costly, 
though  for  the  most  part,  in  proper  keeping  with  the 
sacred  surroundings,  while  the  inscriptions  upon  them, 
telling  what  service  was  done  there,  by  the  sons  of  what 
State,  and  how  many  died  there  in  rendering  it,  are  of 
profound  and  affecting  interest.     When  the  writer  vis 
ited  Gettysburg  in    1888,  there  were  two  hundred  of 
these  monuments    erected,  and    on  a    second  visit   in 
1892,  there  were  three  hundred  and  sixty,  and  others 
still    in    progress — so    that    the    Gettysburg    field    has 
become    a    great    National    Mausoleum,    with    special 
attraction  for  every  State  having  sons  interred  there, 
who  died  in  maintaining  an  undivided  Union. 

The  remains  of  those  who  fell  on  these  sanguinary 
days,  lie  in  the  common  burial  place  on  Cemetery  Hill, 
near  Gettysburg.  Here  a  superb  monument,  erected 
by  the  Government,  stands  on  the  very  spot  where  in 
1 86^,  President  Lincoln's  momorable  address  was  deliv- 


214  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

ered,  at  the  dedication  of  the  National  cemetery,  in  which 
he  uttered  the  striking1  words,  "The  world  will  little  note 
nor  long  remember  what    we  say  here,  but  will  never 
forget  what  they  did  here."     Another  monument  not 
far  from  this,  and   hardly  less  imposing,  was  recently 
erected  by  the  State  of  New  York,  at  a  cost  of  $65,ooo, 
in  honor  of  her  many  gallant  sons  who  died  here  in  the 
country's  defense.     A  fine  monument  also  stands  here 
to   General  John   Reynolds,  the  Bayard   of  the   Union 
Army,    killed  just  west  of  the  Seminary  on  the  first 
day  of  the  battle.     A  smaller  monument  marks  the  spot 
where    he  fell.     Spread  over  the  ample    area    of    the 
cemetery  grounds,  are    the  neat  marble  head-stones  of 
several  thousand  dead  soldiers,  inscribed  with  the  name, 
company,  regiment  and  state  belonging  to  each.     The 
dead  from  each  state    are  interred  in  a  section  of  the 
ground  separate  from  the  others.     Sixteen  hundred  of 
these  stones,    standing  apart  from  the  rest,  bear   the 
simple  and  sad  inscription,  "Unknown,"  indicating  that 
those  sleeping  beneath,  had,  when  buried,  no  marks  to 
distinguish    either  name    or    associations.     This    is    a 
marked  feature  in  all    the    national  cemeteries,  and  the 
reflections    it    awakens    touch   the  heart  very  sensibly. 
The  nation  has  taken  these    cemeteries  under  its  own 
care,  and  guards  the  dust  of  those  who  sacrificed  all  to 
save    it    with    the  utmost    vigilance    and   tenderness. 
Everthing  is  kept    in    perfect  order,  no  vandal  hand  is 
suffered  to    mar    or    deface    marble  or  tree   or  sward, 
and  taste,  skill  and  constant  attention  continue  to  make 
the  grounds  where  these  patriots  lie,  attractive  and  beau 
tiful.     It  is  so  over   all  the    Gettysburg  field    which  is 
owned  by  the  Monument  Association,  who  will  not  be 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2  I  5 

likely  to  neglect  their  trust.  The  crowds  of  patriotic 
visitors  constantly  coming  to  view  the  field,  will  be  sure 
to  keep  it  free,  if  instinctive  reverence  for  the  dead  did 
not,  from  any  injury  or  desecration. 

A  monument  in  honor  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth  Regiment,  though  not  appearing  on  the 
Gettysburg  field  as  early  as  many  of  the  others,  was 
sure  to  be  erected  there  within  a  reasonable  time. 
The  surviving  members  of  the  regiment  long  enter 
tained  and  continued  to  cherish  the  subject  of  hon 
oring  in  this  way  the  memory  of  their  dead  com 
rades,  and  waited  only  the  fitting  time  to  carry 
their  purpose  into  effect.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Regimental  Union  held  at  Kingston,  Feb.  22,  1888, 
the  matter  of  the  monument  was  brought  formally  to 
the  attention  of  the  members.  After  a  full  discussion 
it  was  determined  that  the  work  of  procuring  a  suitable 
monument  should  begin  at  once,  and  should  be  com 
pleted  and  ready  for  dedication  by  June  of  the  fol 
lowing  year.  To  this  end  a  special  committee  of  ten, 
one  from  each  company,  was  appointed  to  obtain 
designs  for  the  monument,  ascertain  its  cost,  and  pre 
pare  the  way  for  its  completion.  This  committee,  of 
which  General  Sharpe  was  the  Chairman,  was  to  act  in 
conjunction  with  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Asso 
ciation  ;  their  joint  report  to  be  presented  at  a  subse 
quent  meeting  to  be  called,  at  an  early  day  for  the 
purpose. 

In  accordance  with  this  provision,  a  special  meeting 
of  members  of  the  Association  was  held  Dec.  8th,  1888, 
when  the  Committee  on  the  monument  reported  in 
part.  From  several  designs  which  had  been  submitted 


2  I  6  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

to  them,  they  gave  the  preference  to  those  of  Frederick 
and  Field  of  Ouincy,  Mass.,  and  recommended  the 
adoption  of  the  plans  and  specifications  for  the  proposed 
monument,  presented  by  this  firm.  The  recommenda 
tion  was  approved  by  the  meeting,  and  it  was  voted  to 
make  a  contract  with  the  said  firm,  to  construct  a  monu 
ment  according  to  the  specified  designs,  and  erect  it  on 
the  field  at  Gettysburg,  at  a  cost  of  twenty-five  hun 
dred  dollars.  The  State  appropriation  for  each  New 
York  regiment  putting  up  a  monument  at  Gettysburg, 
covered  $  i  ,5oo  of  this  amount,  leaving  $  i  ,000  to  be  sup 
plied  by  the  surviving  members.  This  latter  sum  was 
distributed  among  the  ten  companies,  at  the  rate  of  $100 
each,  all  of  them  cheerfully  assuming  their  several  parts, 
thus  guaranteeing  the  full  discharge  of  the  regiment's 
financial  obligation.  At  the  regular  annual  meeting  of 
the  Association  on  February  22d,  1889,  the  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  before  mentioned,  stated  that  the 
construction  of  the  monument  had  been  duly  begun, 
and  carried  on  according  to  authorized  directions,  and 
that  it  would  be  completed  by  May  ist,  next  following. 
He  proposed  that  the  members  of  the  Union  visit 
Gettysburg  for  the  purpose  of  dedicating  this  monu 
ment  in  the  ensuing  month  of  June,  the  precise  day 
being  left  for  the  Executive  Committee  to  decide. 

This  Committee  moreover,  were  to  make  all  the 
arrangements  connected  with  the  proposed  excursion  to 
Gettysburg.  In  discharging  this  duty,  the  committee 
fixed  upon  the  25th  of  June,  1889,  as  the  day  on  which 
the  monument  would  be  dedicated.  General  George  H. 
Sharpe,  was  chosen  by  the  Association  as  the  orator  of 
the  day,  at  the  dedication  services.  A  special  train  of 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2  I  7 

cars    was    chartered    to  convey  the    members  of  the 
Union,  and   friends  of  the    regiment    to    Gettysburg, 
leaving  Kingston  on  the  morning  on  the  24th,  of  which 
due    notification     had    been    made.       On     the    early 
morning  of  this  day  accordingly,  a  large  number  of  the 
veterans  of  the  regiment,    with    their  friends  set  out  on 
their  sacred  mission,    and   reached  Gettysburg   on  the 
afternoon  of  the  same    day,    and    took  quarters  at  the 
commodious  Spring  Hotel,    situated  a  few  rods  west  of 
the  historic  Willoughby  Run.     On    the   next  morning 
they  explored  the  great  battlefield,  examining  with  deep 
interest  the  spots  made  memorable  by  the  struggles  of 
the  mighty  antagonists  thereon  in  July,  twenty-six  years 
before.     The    monument    was    to  be  dedicated  on  the 
afternoon    of  this    day,  and    with  its    presence  for  an 
inspiration,   standing    as    it   does  on   the  very  ground 
hallowed  by  the  blood    so   freely    shed  of  the  regiment 
there  on  July  2nd,  1863.     The  rain  unfortunately,  which 
had  begun  to  fall  fast,  interfered  with  this  arrangement, 
making  it  necessary  to  have  the  dedicatory  services  con 
ducted  within  doors,  the  hotel   furnishing  ample  accom 
modation    for   the    purpose.       Here,  accordingly,    the 
regimental  gathering  took  place.     After    being  opened 
with  the  usual  formalities,  and    a  prayer  offered  by  the 
Rev.    Andrew   Schriver,  the  orator,    General    Sharpe, 
proceeded  to  deliver  the  following  address,  the  interest 
and    value    of   which,    in    its    graphic    details    of    the 
great  battle  of  the  war,  and  especially  the  part  taken 
in  it  by  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment, 
make  it  eminently  fitting,  as  a   close    to    the    present 
narrative,  to  spread  it  out  in  full  before  the  eye  of  the 
reader  : 


2  I  8  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

Comrades,  Relatives  and  Friends  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twen 
tieth  : 

When  the  invitation,  made  with  unanimity,  and  heartily  pressed 
upon  me,  to  make  the  address  upon  this  occasion,  was  accepted, 
I  felt  that  it  could  not  have  met  my  concurrence,  had  I  been  in  actual 
•command  of  the  regiment  on  this  eventful  field.  But  my  duties 
elsewhere  with  the  Commanding  General,  and  from  points  of 
observation  enabling  me  to  overlook,  at  different  stages,  the  whole 
conflict  of  the  two  last  days,  permit  me  to  render  this  service  ;  and  to 
try  to  do  justice  to  the  valor  of  those  with  whom  I  was  so  intimately 
associated,  officially,  territorially,  and  by  ties  of  blood,  affection  and 
friendship. 

Comrades,  you  are  here  to  discharge  a  final  tribute  to  the  gallantry 
and  fame  of  an  organization,  which  reached  the  very  highest  standard 
in  the  resplendent  galaxy  of  the  historic  Army  of  the  Potomac— an 
army  that  was  criticised  for  not  moving  enough,  but  never  for  not 
dying  enough. 

Your  lines  to-day  appear,  to  the  outward  sense,  as  thin  as  on  the 
-evening  of  that  second  day  of  July,  1863,  when  for  hours  you  stood 
the  storm  of  a  conflict  nearly  unparalleled  in  modern  warfare.  But 
your  lines  are  fuller  than  they  seem  to  mortal  vision.  There  are 
comrades  with  us  who  may  not  audibly  answer  to  the  roll  call,  but  I 
feel  they  are  here  !  They  are  trooping  here  from  yonder  Cemetery 
Hill  ;  from  many  a  field  in  Virginia  made  sacred  soil  by  their  blood  ; 
from  the  ranges  of  the  Catskills  ;  from  the  valleys  of  the  Esopus  ; 
-and  from  the  banks  of  the  Wallkill  and  the  Hudson.  Oh  !  brothers  ! 
we  greet  you  ! 

My  living  brethren,  you  are  here  not  only  to  hold  communion  with 
those  to  whom  you  once  gave  the  touch  of  the  elbow,  but  once  again 
you  are  associated  with  a  nation's  heroes  whom  it  is  your  right  to 
claim  as  comrades.  The  thoughtful  form  of  Meade  is  yonder  on 
the  ridge  ;  the  quick  eye  of  Warren  is  penetrating  beyond  the 
Emmettsburg  road  ;  Hunt  will  clear  away  the  murderous  artillery 
that  decimates  your  ranks  ;  Brewster  and  Burns  are  here  to  answer 
Graham's  call  ;  Humphreys  attests  by  his  presence  that  the  point  you 
hold  is  vital  to  the  safety  of  the  army ;  and  Hancock  will  take  care  at 
the  supreme  moment  that  your  sacrifice  is  not  in  vain. 

It  is  our  duty  and  pleasure  to  welcome  these  our  friends  who  come 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH   N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2  I  9 

to  rites  recalling  so  much  sadness  and  so  much  glory,  to  give  us  the 
companionship  of  sympathetic  kinsmen  and  neighbors.  They  were 
bone  of  your  bone,  and  flesh  of  your  flesh,  my  friends,  the  men  who  here 
won  imperishable  renown  !  The  sturdy  qualities,  that  enabled  them 
to  brave  the  blinding  storm,  were  inheritances  which  you  and  they 
shared  alike.  We  are  proud  of  you,  as  you  are  proud  of  them  ;  and 
to-day  your  kindly  presence  refreshes  our  hearts,  and  seems  to  rep 
resent  the  generous  feelings  of  our  countrymen.  By  the  ties  of  family 
and  friendship  you  are  entitled  to  take  part  in  this  ceremonial,  and 
beside  the  satisfaction  of  kindly  offices  to  your  brethren,  you  shall 
have  other  compensations.  The  local  emotions  excited  on  this  spot 
.are  of  the  most  elevated  kind,  unsurpassed  in  the  world,  except  on 
the  sacred  spots  of  Palestine.  Here  the  greatest  deeds  have  been 
wrought,  and  here  the  most  eloquent  words  have  been  spoken  ;  for 
here  on  these  heights  of  Gettysburg,  contemporaneously  with  Vicks- 
burg,  were  the  crucial  hours  of  that  stupendous  conflict,  when  it  was 
settled,  not  for  a  day,  but  for  all  time,  that  government  of  the 
people,  for  the  people  and  by  the  people  should  not  perish  from  the 
earth. 

And  here,  too,  when  time  had  assuaged  the  bitterness  of  the 
.strife  ;  when  twenty-five  years  had  rolled  by,  since  these  hills  had 
groaned  and  rocked  under  the  thunder  of  five  hundred  guns,  sur 
vivors  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  came,  by  official  invitation, 
to  meet  survivors  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  headed  by  two  of 
Robert  E.  Lee's  most  illustrious  commanders.  On  behalf  of  their 
•comrades,  who  marched  and  fought  under  the  Southern  Cross,  they 
came  to  accept  the  arbitrament  and  issues  of  the  conflict;  ''and  if 
there  was  joy  in  heaven  that  day,  it  was  in  the  heart  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  as  he  looked  down  upon  that  field  of  Gettysburg !  ' 

The  State  of  New  York— the  proud  mother  of  us  all— has  recog 
nized  the  fitness  of  decorating  this  immortal  ground.  It  would  be  a 
base  nation  indeed,  that  would  contemplate  the  spectacle  of  her  vic 
torious  sons  erecting  monuments  to  their  comrades  and  themselves. 
In  the  grim  hour  of  trial  those  who  were  concerned  in  vast  national 
and  commercial  interests  trembled  for  the  issue,  and  were  profuse  in 
their  promises  of  reward  to  those  who  put  life  and  limb  in  the  bal 
ance.  We  will  not  seek  to  inquire  whether  these  feelings  have 
changed — whether  the  sordid  love  of  money  has  resumed  its  sway, 
and  frames  excuses  for  broken  pledges  ;  certain  it  is,  that  the  com- 


22O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.S.   VOLS. 

rades  of  the  heroes  of  the  war  lead  the  way  in  the  commemoration  of 
their  deeds.  Our  great  commonwealth  provides  a  mimimum  sum  of 
money  to  enable  each  regiment  to  at  least  mark  its  place  in  the  line, 
and  this  is  supplemented  by  the  free-will  offerings  of  those  who  still 
remember  the  sacrifices  of  the  soldiers.  We  have  appealed,  and 
generally  not  in  vain,  for  assistance  in  this  fraternal  obligation,  and 
the  result  is  shown  in  the  impressive  monument  which  stands  before 
you.  To  all  those  who  gave  us  aid  out  of  their  abundance,  or  out 
of  their  frugal  competence,  we  here  tender  our  sincere  thanks. 

The  Pennsylvania  campaign  was  a  necessity  to  the  Confederate 
army  in  Virginia.  While  its  opponent  had  been  beaten  in  two  great 
battles  within  the  preceding  six  months,  the  power  of  the  North 
seemed  to  grow  with  its  reverses,  and  the  material  resources  of  the 
South  visibly  declined.  The  inability  of  the  insurgent  section  to 
repair  and  construct  railroads,  was  strikingly  apparent.  The  mechani 
cal  energies  and  aptitudes  of  the  North,  which  had  been  made  the 
occasion  of  Southern  taunt  and  sneer,  were  now  coming  forward  to 
torment  the  insurgents,  and  the  intelligent  mechanics  of  the  latter 
section,  generally  by  birth  Northern  men,  were  the  first  to  appreciate 
the  coming  dissolution  of  the  slave  power.  It  was  rarely  possible 
for  General  Lee  to  provide  more  than  four  days'  rations  ahead,  even 
when  his  army  was  lying  at  Fredericksburg,  and  the  helpless  failure 
of  the  Confederate  Commissariat  was  already  prefiguring  the  collapse 
which  attended  the  break-up  of  Lee's  lines  about  Petersburg  and 
Richmond.  One  by  one  the  Southern  ports  were  closed  by  our  gal 
lant  navy  to  the  introduction  of  foreign  supplies.  Would  that  the 
same  gallantry  and  genius,  animating  our  trained  sailors  of  to-day, 
were  provided  with  adequate  means  to  compel  respect  for  the  nation 
whose  flag  Farragut  bore  at  his  masthead  ! 

The  English  people  under  the  leadership  of  John  Bright,  revered 
name  !  gave  their  unflagging  support  to  the  Northern  cause,  but  the 
aristocracy  sympathized  with  the  slave  owners,  while  the  miserable 
harlequin  who  masqueraded  on  the  throne  of  France,  in  the  vest 
ments  of  his  supposititious  uncle,  was  intriguing  for  the  recognition 
of  the  Confederate  States,  if  the  concurrence  of  the  British  govern 
ment  could  be  obtained,  and  that  government  was  mainly  in  the 
hands  of  the  aristocracy. 

It  was  believed  that  a  successful  invasion  of  the  North  would  lead 
to  cooperation  by  the  French  and  English  cabinets. 


ONE   HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2  2  I 

But  a  greater  need  was  pressing  at  Richmond.  Their  people  had 
been  told  that  Vicksburg  was  an  impregnable  fortress,  and  it  was  cer 
tain  that  it  was  the  last  important  point  by  which  the  rebel  govern 
ment  sought  to  control  the  father  of  waters,  and  maintain  communi 
cation  with  the  vast  trans-Mississippi  department.  The  Confederate 
people  were  still  fed  upon  lies,  but  the  administration  knew  that  the 
genius  and  persistence  of  Grant  were  nearing  an  overwhelming  suc 
cess,  and  that  the  days  could  be  numbered  when- the  Mississippi 
would  go  unvexed  to  the  sea. 

A  great  diversion  was  required,  and  if  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
which  was  the  breastplate  of  the  nation,  could  be  shattered,  the 
veterans  of  Grant  and  Sherman  would  be  required  to  repair  the  dis 
aster.  If  Baltimore  or  Philadelphia  were  taken  before  Grant's  army 
could  be  transferred,  the  war  might  be  expected  to  end  in  a  com 
promise  ;  and  if  Washington  were  captured,  the  rebel  cabinet  would 
occupy  the  public  buildings  of  the  Capitol,  always  the  accepted 
evidence  of  ultimate  authority  in  civil  wars  in  Europe,  and  would  be 
recognized  as  the  government  de  facto  of  the  United  States  of 
America. 

So  when  the  battle  of  the  first  day  at  Gettysburg  was  brought  on 
by  the  collision  of  a  large  and  overwhelming  part  of  Lee's  army  with 
the  inferior  forces  at  the  disposal  of  Reynolds,  the  same  reasons  com 
pelled  Lee  to  fight  at  a  point  farther  from  his  base  than  he  originally 
intended,  provided  Meade  accepted  the  wager  of  battle.  Lee  could 
not  go  farther  without  giving  his  opponent  a  staggering  blow,  as  he 
would  then  be  more  than  one  day's  march  from  the  South  Moun 
tains,  through  whose  defiles  he  had  a  secure  retreat,  with  the  power 
to  protect  his  columns  and  trains  by  small  detachments  if  he  failed 
in  complete  success,  as,  in  any  event,  he  must  substantially  save  his 
army. 

If  he  retired  through  Maryland  into  Virginia,  he  fell  back  again 
upon  his  scanty  supplies ;  foreign  recognition  was  abandoned,  and 
Vicksburg  was  left  to  her  fate. 

Nor  had  Meade  designed  or  desired  to  fight  at  Gettysburg.  The 
line  of  Pipe  Creek  between  Middleburg  and  Manchester  was  better 
adapted  to  cover  Baltimore  and  Washington,  and  his  depot,  West 
minster,  would  be  in  the  direct  rear  of  his  centre. 

The  rank  and  file  of  Lee's  army,  no  matter  what  he  and  Long- 
street  thought,  believed  profoundly  in  their  power  to  whip  their 


222  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

great  antagonist  to  the  point  of  disintegration.  They  had  repulsed 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  at  Fredericksburg,  after  an  obstinacy  that 
seemed  to  admit  of  no  denial,  for  the  charge  on  Marye's  heights  was 
equal  in  gallantry  and  devotion  to  that  of  Pickett's  division  within 
our  view,  and  they  had  driven  the  same  army  across  the  Rappahan- 
nock  when  •'  Fighting  Joe  "  Hooker,  for  inexplicable  reasons,  failed 
to  fight  his  army. 

Looking  to  great,  and  perhaps  decisive  results,  every  nerve  had 
been  strained  to  convert  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  into  the  most 
powerful  weapon  the  Confederacy  could  forge.  Its  ranks  comprised 
as  good  fighting  material  as  the  world  has  ever  produced,  in  a  good 
cause  or  in  a  bad  cause.  The  reputation  of  Lee,  so  considerable  in 
Mexico  and  afterwards,  that  he  was  considered  the  legitimate  suc 
cessor  of  Winfield  Scott,  had  grown  on  the  Peninsula,  immeasurably 
advanced  at  the  second  Manassas,  had  reached  a  dazzling  altitude  at. 
Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville,  and  he  was  thought  to  be 
invincible. 

His  three  great  infantry  corps,  each  counting  far  more  than  any  of 
ours,  were  severally  equalized  to  the  number  of  25,000  men  ;  and  his 
three  lieutenant  generals  and  nine  division  commanders  were 
the  product  of  West  Point,  veterans  in  service,  and  excepting  two  or 
three  names,  without  professional  rivals  in  the  Confederacy. 

They  were  already  hailed  with  the  prophecy  of  victory.  The  Con 
federate  historian  of  the  Lost  Cause  says  : 

''On  the  plains  near  Culpepper  were  the  preparations  made  for 
the  great  campaign.  It  was  the  beautiful  month  of  May.  All  was 
bustle  and  activity  ;  the  freshness  of  the  air  and  the  glow  of  expecta 
tion  animated  the  busy  scene.  Trains  were  hurried  up,  filled  with 
munitions  of  war;  new  and  splendid  batteries  of  artillery  were  added 
to  the  army  ;  the  troops,  as  far  as  possible,  were  newly  equipped  ; 
and  ordnance  trains  were  filled  to  their  utmost  capacity. 

"The  cavalry,  15,000  strong,  were  reviewed  at  Brandy  Station;, 
crowds  attended  the  display ;  and  General  Stuart,  the  gallant  com 
mander,  whose  only  weakness  was  military  foppery  and  an  inordinate 
desire  of  female  admiration,  rode  along  the  lines  on  a  horse  almost 
covered  with  bouquets.  Nearly  a  week  was  consumed  in  reviewing 
cavalry,  infantry  and  artillery.  By  the  first  of  June,  all  was  in  readi 
ness,  and  the  advance  was  ordered." 

J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  the  Confederate  Murat,  fought  on  many  another 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  22$ 

field  untill  he  fell  mortally  wounded  in  his  disastrous  combat  with- 
Sheridan,  at  Yellow  Tavern  ; 

"  In  the  lost  battle,  borne  down  by  the  flying, 

Where  mingles  war's  rattle  with  groans  of  the  dying." 

Lieutenant  General  Longstreet  continued  to  be  a  tower  of  strength 
to  Lee,  until  he  was  named  by  the  latter  as  one  of  the  Commission 
ers  to  carry  out  the  terms  of  the  surrender  of  the  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia.  Lieutenant  General  Ewell  was  captured  with  five  other 
general  officers,  and  the  rank  and  file  of  his  corps,  by  Sheridan  at  the 
desperate  battle  of  Sailor's  Creek,  and  Lieutenant  General  A.  P.  Hill, 
sustained  his  great  reputation  on  every  battle  field  until  shot  through 
the  heart  on  the  last  day  the  Confederate  lines  were  held  before 
Richmond,  when  his  body  was  carried  to  his  home  in  Petersburg,  a 
resting  place  to  be  occupied  on  the  following  morning  by  another 
Lieutenant  General,  commanding  the  armies  of  the  United  States  ! 

The  Confederate  advance  had  been  ordered  on  the  first  of  June, 
and  on  the  evening  of  the  first  of  July,  this  host  stood  mostly  on  the 
ground  now  within  our  view,  with  hopes  high  advanced  by  successes 
in  the  valley,  and  by  the  defeat  of  the  corps  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  commanded  by  Reynolds.  But  Reynolds,  although 
greatly  outnumbered,  had  fought  with  a  skill  and  obstinacy  that  per 
suaded  the  enemy  to  believe  the  greater  part  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  was  here,  and  Lee  paused  when  perhaps  he  could  have 
seized  those  heights,  to  await  his  divisions  in  the  rear. 

In  the  afternoon  Meade  sent  Hancock  to  replace  the  lifeless 
Reynolds  and  report  upon  the  propriety  of  accepting  this  as  a  battle 
field,  while  whatever  preparation  he  had  made,  looked  to  the  line  of 
Pipe  Creek,  for  the  reasons  I  have  stated.  I  was  lying  on  the  ground 
in  a  corner  of  General  Meade's  tent  at  Taneytown,  when  Hancock's 
reply  came,  partially  approving  this  line.  The  advantages  of  Pipe 
Creek  were  thought  to  be  counter-balanced  by  the  moral  effect  of 
joining  our  brave  comrades  who  had  fought  here,  instead  of  with 
drawing  them,  and  giving  the  impression  of  a  retreat. 

Meade  boldly  decided  to  advance  his  converging  corps,  and  as 
soon  as  the  orders  could  be  written  and  forwarded,  he  mounted, 
and  with  his  staff  rode  rapidly  to  the  front.  It  was  a  moonlight 
night.  We  started  before  midnight  and  covered  the  distance  of  four- 


224  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

teen  miles  by  one  o'clock  in  the  morning.     And  I  recall  with  distint- 
>ness  the  solemnity  of  our  reflections  and  discussions  ! 

The  issue  was  now  joined.  Had  Meade  retired  to  Pipe  Creek, 
Lee,  after  the  success  of  the  first  day,  might  perhaps  have  withdrawn 
to  his  base  with  his  prisoners  and  spoils,  and  without  vital  loss  of 
prestige.  But  when  Meade  daringly  accepted  the  gage,  Lee  must 
fight  here,  and  he  must  fight  at  once,  for  every  day  that  he  was  com 
pelled  to  lie  in  order  of  battle,  his  further  accumulation  of  booty  was 
stopped,  and  his  supplies  were  diminished  ;  and  you  and  I  know, 
comrades,  that  other  things  being  considered,  an  army  fights  upon 
its  belly. 

Content  with  presenting  these  general  considerations,  I  shall  now 
confine  myself  briefly  to  the  part  enacted  by  our  regiment  in  this  con 
test  of  giants,  using  unsparingly  the  careful  paper  lately  prepared  by 
Colonel  Westbrook,  with  the  consent  of  that  accomplished  officer. 
His  professional  education  had  eminently  prepared  him  for  a  topo 
graphical  study,  and  his  intelligent  command  at  Chancellorsville,  and 
on  this  field,  up  to  the  time  he  was  permanently  disabled  by  his 
second  wound,  give  entire  assurance  of  his  accuracy  and  discrimi 
nation. 

General  Lee's  left  wing  held  the  town  of  Gettysburg,  and  Ewell 
hoped  to  effect  a  lodgment  on  the  right  and  rear  of  the  Union  line 
along  the  slopes,  and  at  the  base  of  Gulp's  Hill.  His  plan  of  battle 
was  a  co-operating  movement  of  his  right  and  left  wings,  with  men 
acing  demonstrations  on  our  centre,  to  prevent  the  troops  therefrom 
reenforcing  in  front  of  his  more  serious  attacks.  Had  his  plans 
succeeded,  Longstreet's  and  E well's  corps  would  have  met  each 
other,  on  or  near  the  Taneytown  road,  in  the  rear  of  General  Meade's 
headquarters  and  of  the  centre  of  his  army  ;  in  the  vicinity  of  our 
reserves  of  artillery  and  ammunition  ;  in  reach  of  all  our  trains  ;  and 
.we  should  not  have  been  here  to  dedicate  a  monument  on  the  field 
of  Gettysburg. 

Longstreet's  prescribed  order  of  battle,  in  which  he  did  not  agree, 
was  on  taking  position  with  his  magnificent  corps  on  our  left,  to 
sweep  up  the  Emmettsburg  road,  under  cover  of  his  batteries,  and 
roll  up  our  lines  in  the  direction  of  Cemetery  Hill.  It  was  to  be  an 
oblique  order  of  battle,  in  which  the  attacking  line  formed  obli 
quely  to  its  opponent,  marches  directly  forward  constantly  break 
ing  in  the  end  of  his  enemy's  line,  and  joining  his  rear. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  225 

The  Third  Corps  formation,  in  its  second  position,  considerably 
thrown  out  in  advance  of  the  general  line  from  Cemetery  Hill  to  the 
Round  Tops,  with  an  angle  at  the  Peach  Orchard,  favored  the  exe 
cution  of  such  an  order  of  battle.  But,  if  in  the  progress  of  the 
attacking  column,  any  physical  or  material  obstacle  is  met,  that  can 
not  be  overcome  by  the  attacking  column,  the  oblique  order  of  bat 
tle  fails,  as  would  any  other  ;  and  in  the  providence  of  God,  it  was 
given  to  this  regiment  to  make  such  an  obstacle,  for  successive  and 
bloody  hours  ;  melting  away,  but  holding  the  line  until  other  posi 
tions  were  sufficiently  relieved,  to  permit  Hancock  to  prevent  its 
complete  sacrifice. 

It  was  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  that  the  bugle  sounded,  for 
the  advance  of  the  Third  Corps,  from  the  general  line  of  battle  of  our 
army  ;  and  as  Longstreet's  dispositions  had  just  been  completed  for 
his  oblique  order  of  battle,  the  terrific  attack  made  by  his  corps 
seemed  to  be  in  response  to  the  invitation  of  that  bugle  call.  I  shall 
not  here  attempt  a  detailed  description  of  one  of  the  most  desperate 
assaults  made  by  that  great  soldier,  in  all  the  history  of  the  redoubt 
able  army  of  Northern  Virginia.  Our  corps  was  struck  at  the 
southern  base  of  Devil's  Den,  as  if  with  the  malignity  of  demons 
issuing  from  their  fastnesses,  uncl  the  attack  then  rolled  up  to  the 
Peach  Orchard  and  along  the  Emmettsbuig  road  to  Codori's. 

The  oblique  order  of  battle  was  forging  its  way  ! 

To  support  Graham  at  the  Peach  Orchard,  Burling's  brigade  of  our 
division,  and  every  regiment  of  our  brigade  except  our  own,  was 
removed  ;  the  last  withdrawn  being  Burns  with  the  Fourth  Excelsior, 
who  charged  the  enemy  with  ringing  cheers,  following  the  lines  of 
Graham,  whose  angle  was  broken  about  six  o'clock. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  was  left  stark  alone.  Advanc 
ing  some  fifty  feet  at  this  hour,  to  gain  the  partial  proteciotn  of  a 
stone  wall,  the  regiment  laid  down,  and  here  some  gallant  spirits 
lost  their  lives  while  standing  up  to  brave  the  fire  and  examine  the 
movements  of  the  enemy.  Barksdale  and  Wofford  having  broken 
the  lines  of  Graham,  the  former  next  proceeded  to  get  our  regiment 
out  of  his  way,  that  the  oblique  order  of  battle  might  not  be  disturbed. 
But  Barksdale  could  not  get  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  out  of 
his  way  in  time  to  make  the  combined  movement  a  succcessful  one 
in  the  two  hours  of  daylight  left.  Though  less  than  one  hundred  of 
our  men  came  unharmed  out  of  that  murderous  fire,  this  regiment 

15 


226  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

held  the  line  until  after  seven  o'clock,  when  another  regiment  took  its 
place,  enabling  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  to  retire  with  Carr's- 
brigade,  and  it  was  while  the  two  wings  were  being  side-stepped  to 
unmask  the  relieving  force  that  Colonel  Westbrook  received  his  sec 
ond  wound  and  was  carried  from  the  field.  He  was  succeeded  in 
command  by  that  fearless  soldier,  John  Rudolph  Tappen,  who  left 
the  army  near  the  close  of  the  war  with  a  reputation  for  courage  and 
capacity  second  to  no  other  field  officer  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

At  the  ridge,  to  which  our  regiment  retired  with  Carr's  brigade,  it 
was  confronted  by  the  brigades  of  Wilcox,  Perry  and  White  ;  our 
own  men  being  opposite  to  Perry. 

Wright  pierced  our  line  on  the  right,  and  as  this  was  the  main  line, 
the  peril  was  extreme.  But  he  was  not  supported  ;  Wilcox  leaves- 
500  of  his  i,  600  men  on  Carr's  front  ;  Pender  hurrying  up  to  the 
right  to  restore  the  attack,  is  mortally  wounded,  Wright  is  hurled 
back  by  Webb  and  Stannard  of  the  Second  Corps  ;  the  hour  is  7:45  ; 
darkness  is  approaching,  and  the  oblique  order  of  bailie  has  failed. 

In  explanation  of  this  failure  no  accounts  of  the  battle  tell  us 
what  Barksdale  was  doing  between  the  hours  of  6:30  and  7:15.  Dur 
ing  this  time  Barksdale  disappears  from  history  to  reappear  again  at 
7.30  in  front  of  \Villard,  after  marching  a  distance  of  500  yards, 
over  open  fields  encountering  nothing  but  stragglers. 

During  all  the  time  the  regiment  was  subjected  to  this  fearful 
experience,  there  was  but  one  movement  and  this  was  a  refusal  of 
the  left.  Doubleday  says  that  when  Birney  assumed  command  of 
the  Third  Corps,  after  the  wounding  of  Sickles,  he  ordered  Hum 
phreys  to  move  his  left  wing  back,  to  form  a  new  oblique  line  to  the 
ridge  in  connection  with  his  own  (Birney's)  division,  and  that  he 
(Humphreys)  was  obliged,  while  executing  the  difficult  manoeuvre  of 
a  change  of  front  to  rear,  to  contend  with  Barksdale's  brigade  ;  and 
Humphreys  was  there,  in  the  rear  of  our  regiment  and  with  ours 
only. 

General  Hunt,  Chief  of  Artillery,  says  that  the  angle  of  the  Peach 
Orchard  was  broken  towards  six  o'clock,  with  great  loss  on  both 
sides,  that  three  of  Anderson's  brigades  were  advancing  on  Hum 
phreys,  who  received  orders  from  Birney  to  throw  back  his  left,  form 
an  oblique  line  in  his  rear,  and  connect  with  the  right  of  Birney's 
division  then  retiring.  Our  regiment  alone  executed  that  manoeu- 
ver,  and  Humphreys  and  Brewster,  our  brigade  commander,  at 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  22J 

once  took  positions  personally  in  the  rear  of  our  lines,  Humphreys 
being  mounted  and  Brewster  on  foot. 

DeTrobriand,  writing  lately,  and  after  he  had  been  able  to  examine 
all  the  other  authorities,  says  that  Humphreys'  position  was  gravely 
compromised  after  Graham  had  been  dislodged  from  the  Peach 
Orchard.  The  rebels  outflanked  his  left,  and  they  were  moving  to 
attack  his  front  at  the  same  time.  Then  with  splendid  coolness,  and 
under  a  terrible  fire,  he  effected  a  change  of  front  without  ceasing  to 
carry  on  the  combat.  His  right  held  on  to  the  Emmettsburgh  road 
(that  was  Carr's  brigade),  and  his  left  extended  towards  Round  Top 
in  the  direction  where  Birney  wished  to  form  a  new  line,  and  this 
undaunted  left  was  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment.  And 
DeTrobriand  adds  that  this  dangerous  movement  could  not  have 
been  carried  out,  except  with  troops  extremely  firm,  and  at  the  cost 
of  great  sacrifices. 

Bravo  !     DeTrobriand  ! 

Did  our  regiment  have  any  assistance  in  this  trying  hour  ?  From 
the  shattered  commands  of  Graham,  there  came  a  few  who  took 
position  in  our  ranks,  and  some  also  with  Brewster  came  to  stand 
side  by  side  with  "the  men  who  held  the  line."  But  if  any  other 
regiment,  or  battalion,  or  organized  body  did  take  part  in  this  hold 
ing  of  the  line,  or  in  this  change  of  front,  so  applauded  by  the  his 
torians,  let  the  claim  be  made,  and,  on  fair  proof,  the  One  Hundred 
and  Twentieth  will  ungrudgingly  consent  to  share  its  laurels.  We 
know  something  of  Humphreys,  and  the  country  knows  something 
of  that  great  soldier  when  he  afterwards  became  Chief  of  Staff,  and 
succeeded  Hancock  in  the  command  of  the  Second  Corps.  When, 
in  the  general  confusion  of  the  field,  he  placed  himself  in  the  rear 
of  our  ranks,  standing  alone  on  a  line  which  had  been  stripped  for 
the  salvation  of  others,  he  proclaimed  in  the  most  affirmative  manner 
that  this  was  then  the  vital  point  ;  and  while  he  was  powerless  to 
afford  relief  except  by  his  presence  and  example ;  while  death  stared 
him  in  the  face,  and  it  did  not  seem  possible  to  those  who  watched 
him  slowly  riding-in  the  rear  of  our  formation,  that  he  should  escape, 
he  chose  to  take  his  part  with  "  the  men  that  held  the  line." 

I  can  now  add  few  incidents  to  illustrate  the  story.  It  is  splendid 
in  its  simplicity  ;  and  it  was  a  square  stand-up  fight  from  first  to 
last.  As  Wellington  said  at  Waterloo,  "Hard  pounding,  this, 
gentlemen  ;  but  we  will  pound  the  longest/'  The  eye  could  not  be 


228  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

turned  in  any  direction  along  our  line  without  seeing  men  fall  at 
every  moment.  All  the  details  to  these  colors  that  we  bring  with  us 
to-day,  were  successively  shot  down,  yet  none  shrank  from  the 
honor  of  carrying  them.  They  went  down  from  time  to  time,  to  be 
immediately  raised  in  defiance,  and  were  sometimes  borne  by  offi 
cers,  as  in  the  case  of  Everett,  until  another  detail  could  be  made. 
The  national  color  was  last  committed  by  Major  Tappen  to  the 
hands  of  Sergeant  John  I.  Spoor,  who  carried  it  throughout  the 
remaining  conflict,  and  was  recommended  for  promotion  for  con 
spicuous  gallantry,  immediately  after  the  battle.  When  the  staff  was 
broken  by  a  shot,  Spoor  placed  one  hand  above  the  fracture,  and 
thus  held  the  color  erect. 

Of  the  officers  Ketcham  first  fell,  refusing  to  take  cover  and  brav 
ing  the  enemy's  fire.  Then  Barker  came  from  the  left  to  report 
Barksdale's  advance,  and  returning  to  his  company  had  no  sooner 
ordered  his  men  up,  and  to  fire,  than  he  was  killed  by  the  return  fire 
of  the  Mississippians.  Then  came  the  crisis  of  fate  for  Creighton, 
and  Hollister,  and  Freileweh,  and  Burhans,  and  Carle,  chivalric 
specimens  of  the  best  native,  and  adopted  blood  of  Ulster  and 
Greene.  Of  the  last  named,  Carle,  it  is  mournful  to  add  that  he 
was  found  two  days  later  in  a  position  where  assistance  had  failed  to 
reach  him,  still  alive,  but  insensible  ;  and  so  he  passed  to  rejoin  his 
companions.  The  last  officer  killed  was  our  much  loved  Willie 
Cockburn.  He  had  been  wounded,  and  was  being  helped  from  the 
field  by  his  tentmate,  when  another  ball  struck  him,  and  he  informed 
his  companion  gravely,  but  with  a  touch  of  the  old  vivacity,  that  the 
hurt  was  mortal. 

In  many  cases  wounds  were  concealed,  and  one  officer  was  de 
tailed  to  assist  General  Sickles,  who  had  himself  been  injured,  and 
was  fit  for  no  duty  except  to  encourage  his  men.  When  the  regi 
ment  retired  at  dark  Captain  Snyder  and  Lieutenant  Turner,  together, 
were  with  those  bringing  off  the  colors  when  Turner  lost  his  arm, 
and  Snyder  became  commander  of  the  improvised  color  guard.  On 
reaching  the  point  where  the  remains  of  the  five  Excelsior  regiments 
had  gathered,  Colonel  Farnum  was  found  in  command,  giving  loud 
expression  to  the  admiration  of  himself  and  comrades  of  that  veteran 
brigade  for  the  conspicuous  gallantry  and  stubbornness  of  "  the  men 
who  held  the  line,"  calling  for  the  name  of  each  officer  and  man  for 
official  recognition.  The  killed  and  wounded.  203  in  number,  of 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.S.    VOLS.  22C) 

course  made  no  answer,  and  of  the  rest  some  had  gone  in  attend 
ance  upon  wounded  comrades,  and  others  may  have  been  looking 
for  tentmateson  the  field,  but  the  names  of  those  present  were  taken, 
and  Major  Tappen,  Captain  Snyder  and  Lieutenants  Everett,  and 
Simpkins,  with  eighteen  men,  made  up  the  roll. 

I  would  that  I  could  name  them  all  ;  all  of  those  203.  who  out  of 
a  total  of  356  armed  men  and  27  officers,  make  a  proportionate  loss 
nearly  unequaled  on  this  immortal  field. 

But  since  this  cannot  be,  we  dedicate  this  monument  to-day  to 
their  everlasting  memory.  We  dedicate  it  also  to  their  comrades 
who  joined  them  from  other  fields  of  victory  and  defeat  ;  to  the 
memory  of  Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville  ;  of  James  City  and 
Mine  Run  ;  of  the  Wilderness  and  Spottsylvania  ;  of  the  North 
Anna  and  the  Totopotomoy  ;  of  Cold  Harbor  and  Petersburg  ;  of 
Strawberry  Plains  and  Deep  Bottom  ;  of  Poplar  Spring  Church  and 
the  Boydton  Plank  Road  ;  of  Hatcher's  Run  and  Tucker's  House  ; 
of  the  White  Oak  Road  and  Amelia  Springs  ;  of  Farmville  and 
Appomattox  Court  House — to  them  and  to  their  glories,  forever. 

How  rich  are  treasures  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  in  the 
clear  upper  sky! 

O,  Brothers,  whose  valour  is  the  occasion  of  this  solemnity,  bend 
an  ear  from  the  peaceful  fields  which  are  now  your  home  and  par 
don  these  last  efforts  of  a  voice  which  was  not  unknown  to  you! 

And  we,  who  remain,  shall  draw  from  your  example  fresh  lessons 
of  virtue  and  self-denial,  and  patriotic  endeavor. 

At  the  close  of  the  oration,  the  following  poem,  writ 
ten  for  the  occasion  was  read,  in  the  absence  of  its 
author,  by  Mr.  Egbert  Lewis.  Its  patriotic  sentiment 
and  animated  expression,  instinct  with  the  bright,  yet 
tender  memories  of  the  late  struggle  and  victory  found, 
as  the  oration  had  clone,  an  echo  in  the  heart  of  every 
listener.  General  H.  W.  Slocum,  whose  brilliant  record 
as  one  of  the  prominent  leaders  in  the  war  all  the  coun 
try  knows,  accepted  the  monument  on  behalf  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  in  a  brief  and  felicitous  address, 
which  does  not  appear  here  only  for  the  reason  that  no 


23O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  JV.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

report  of  it  has  been  preserved.  The  monument  itself, 
as  designed  and  completed,  is  a  "  castellated  tower  of 
Ouincy  granite,  28  feet  high,  surmounted  by  the  Third 
Corps  badge,  and  bearing  also  in  bronze  the  arms  of 
the  State  of  New  York,  and  inscriptions  setting  forth 
the  record  of  the  regiment  in  the  battle,  its  strength  and 
losses  and  the  names  of  the  twenty-two  battles  in  which 
it  was  engaged." 

o    o 

The  Rev.  B.  C.  Lippincott  closed,  with  the  benedic 
tion,  the  impressive  ceremonies  of  the  clay. 


THE   POEM. 


THE  MEN  WHO  HELD  THE  LINE. 

BY    WILL    CARLETON. 

Right  brave  the  clash  of  the  cavalry's  dash, 

As  it  sweeps  o'er  hill  and  plain, 
While  bugles  sing,  and  banners  fling 

Their  smiles  to  the  glorious  slain  ; 
With  footsteps  solemn  the  serried  column 

May  grandly  cross  the  field, 
While  red  gaps  made  by  the  ball's  round  blade, 

By  heroes  are  swiftly  healed  ; 
The  charge's  story  is  full  of  glory, 

In  history- wreaths  to  shine  ; 
But  bravest  of  all,  we  still  must  call 

The  men  who  hold  the  line  ! 

Tis  brave  to  rush,  in  the  onset's  flush, 
With  pride  in  the  praise-strewn  air, 

And  woo  the  smile  of  the  great  guns,  while 
You  capture  your  rivals  there  ; 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2  3  I 

The  death-steep  blade  of  the  barricade 

To  climb,  on  steps  blood-bought, 
And  raise  to  the  sight  rich  colors  bright, 

That  tender  hands  have  wrought  ; 
'Tis  grand  to  ride  on  the  battle's  tide, 

And  follow  Victory's  sign  ; 
But  bravest  of  all — to  fight  or  fall— 

And  steadily  hold  the  line  ! 

O  men  out  there  in  the  July  glare, 

Who  redden  the  green  grass  leaves  ! 
This  harvest-field  gives  bloody  yield  ; 

And  dead  men  are  the  sheaves  ! 
Your  flags  are  dim  in  the  smoke-clouds  grim — 

Or  gleam  with  a  costly  stain  ; 
At  each  gun's  call,  your  brothers  fall, 

And  die,  with  a  moan  of  pain. 
Ah,  many  a  grief,  past  all  relief, 

Must  e'en  with  victory  twine  ; 
But  you  who  stand  in  that  station  grand, 

For  God's  sake,  hold  the  line  ! 

You  fight,  'tis  plain,  with  hand  and  brain, 

You  strike  with  vision  keen  ; 
With  every  blow  you  feel  and  know 

What  'tis  that  you  stand  between  ! 
Grim  malice  and  rage  your  homes  engage  ; 

Destruction  looms  in  view  ; 
And  all  that  you  prize  beneath  the  skies, 

May  now  depend  on  you  ! 
For  Heaven  you  fight,  and  defend  the  right ; 

Your  blows  are  all  divine  ; 
O  men  that  stand  by  the  Union  land — 

For  God's  sake,  hold  the  line  ! 

They  pray  for  you  on  hill-sides  blue  ; 

By  the  river's  sweet  cold  tide  ; 
They  hover  by  ;  and  their  hearts  come  nigh, 

And  fight  here  by  your  side  ! 


232  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

Friends  far  away  see  you  to-day — 

The  dead  are  looking  on  ; 
Angels  are  near  ;  and  Heaven  will  hear 

By  whom  was  this  battle  won. 
To-day  will  our  land  more  firmly  stand, 

Or  sink  toward  decline  ; 
A  fame  that  endures  forever  is  yours, 

If  you  but  hold  the  line  ! 

The  battle  is  done  ;  the  smoke-veiled  sun 

Creeps  low  to  a  misty  west  ; 
Fair  Victory's  crown  sweeps  grandly  down 

On  those  who  have  fought  the  best. 
Once  more  the  tide  of  the  foernan's  pride 

Is  rolled,  like  a  torrent,  back  ; 
Rebellion's  way,  from  this  very  day, 

Will  creep  on  a  downward  track. 
Lift  proud  the  head — O  living  and  dead  ! 

You  have  compassed  Heaven's  design  ! 
In  every  zone  you  shall  e'er  be  known 

As  the  men  who  held  the  line  ! 


ROSTER   AND   RECORD 

OF  THE 

One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Regiment 

NEW   YORK   STATE    VOLUNTEERS. 

1862-1865. 


CONCERNING  THE  ROSTER  AND  RECORD. 


The  following  is  a  "Roster"  of  all  the  names  borne  upon  the 
Muster-rolls  of  the  Regiment,  with  a  brief  record  of  each,  giving  par 
ticulars  in  order,  as  follows  :  Name  ;  Age  ;  Date  of  Enlistment  ; 
Place  of  Residence  or  Enlistment ;  Transfer ;  Date  and  Cause  of 
Discharge  ;  Muster  out ;  Remarks.  Such  additions  have  also  been 
made  to  the  records  and  history  of  the  men,  as  it  has  been  found 
possible  to  obtain. 


ROSTER  AND  RECORD 

—  OF  — 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  V. 


FIELD  AND  STAFF. 

COLONEL. 

Sharpe,  George  H.  Had  been  a  Captain  in  the  2Oth  N.  Y.  S.  M.,  in  the  three 
months'  service.  In  the  Spring  of  1863,  he  was  ordered  upon  the  general  staff 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  where  he  continued  during  the  command  of  that 
army  by  General  Hooker  and  General  Meade.  After  the  battle  of  Chancellors- 
ville  he  succeeded  in  making  a  cartel  with  the  Confederates  for  the  imme 
diate  delivery  to  the  U.  S.  authorities  of  the  wounded  left  by  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  on  the  Chancellorsville  battlefield.  When  Lieutenant  General 
Grant  came  east  and  assumed  the  personal  direction  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  Colonel  Sharpe  was  assigned  to  duty  on  his  staff,  being  detailed  to 
headquarters  of  the  armies  operating  against  Richmond.  He  served  person 
ally  with  General  Grant  in  all  the  final  operations  of  the  war  and  until  he  was 
mustered  out  in  June,  1865.  Under  the  terms  of  surrender  at  Appomattox 
Court  House,  Virginia,  he  was  designated  to  parole  General  Lee's  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia.  He  was  Brevetted  Brigadier  General  U.  S.  V.  in  1864, 
and  Major  General  U.  S.  V.  in  1865. 

LIEUTENANT-COLONELS. 

Westbrook,  C.  D.  Had  been  a  Captain  in  the  2oth  N.  Y.  S.  M.  and  served  as 
Adjutant  of  the  i2Oth  during  the  organization  of  the  Regiment.  Being  twice 
wounded  at  Gettysburg,  he  was  honorably  discharged  in  February,  1864. 

Tappen,  Major  John  Rudolph.  Had  been  a  Captain  in  the  2oth  N.  Y.  S.  M. 
Was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  succeeded  Col.  Westbrook  upon  the 
latter's  muster  out.  He  had  been  wounded  in  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run, 
and  was  mustered  out  at  the  expiration  of  his  full  term  of  service  in  December, 

1864.  Soon  after  his  death,  which  occurred  January  20,  1875,  a  memorial  ser 
vice  commemorative  of  his  life  and  character  was  held  in  Kingston,  of  which  a 
full  account  was  published.     Was  a  Captain  in  the  2Oth  N.  Y.  S.  M.,  serving 
with  them  in  the  field,  and  was  Commissioned  Major  in  the  !2Oth,  and  joined 
it  shortly  after  its  arrival  in  Virginia. 

Lockwood,  Abram  L.  25.  June  15,  1862.  Kingston.  Mustered  out  with  the 
regiment  at  Kingston  June  3,  1865.  Was  promoted  to  Major,  to  Lieutenant 
Colonel  and  Brevetted  Colonel  of  U.  S.  V.  Was  in  command  of  the  Regi 
ment  during  the  latter  part  of  its  service,  and  was  for  a  time  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  74th  N.  Y.  V.,  and  was  also  for  a  time  in  command  of  the 
nth  Mass.  Vols.  Now  living  in  New  York  City. 

MAJOR. 

Scott,  Walter  F.     August  19,  1862.     Kingston.     Promoted  to  Major  February  4, 

1865.  Died  at  Chapultepec,  Mexico,  October  8,  iSSi. 


236  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  V.  S.  VOLS. 

FIELD  AND  STAFF-Continued. 

ADJUTANT. 

Tuthill,  Selah  O.  Resigned  shortly  after  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Adjutant  Russell,  who  continued  as  such  until  the  end  of  the  war. 

QUARTERMASTER. 

Coffin,  Uriah  H.  Held  the  same  position  throughout  the  entire  term  of  service 
with  the  Regiment. 

SURGEONS. 

Van  Hoevenhurgh,  James  O.     Resigned  shortly  after  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg. 
Van  Steenburgh,  Warner.     Was  appointed  Surgeon  March  12,  1863,  and  mustered 
out  with  the  Regiment.     Died  at  Troy. 

Brown,  Edward  A.  Was  mustered  January  9,  1863,  and  resigned  February  23, 
1863. 

ASSISTANT  SURGEONS. 

Collier,  Henry  A.  Died  in  January,  1863  from  the  effects  of  exposure  and  unre- 
mitting  labor  and  devotion  to  the  men,  and  Assistant  Surgeon  Van  Rensselaer 
was  never  mustered  as  such,  preferring  to  remain  a  line  officer  in  the  2Oth  N. 
Y.  S.  M. 

Hogan,  Edward  K.  Was  mustered  March  31,  1863,  and  was  discharged  August 
n,  1864. 

Miller,  John  N.  Mustered  September  10,  1862.  Promoted  to  Surgeon  8ist  Re<n- 
ment  March  15,  1865.  Died  at  Poughkeepsie. 

Ackley,  Gustavus  J.     Mustered  March  30,   1865.     Transferred  to  73d  Regiment 

June  2,  1865. 

CHAPLAIN. 

Hartwell,  Foster.  Was  discharged  in  December,  1863  on  account  of  disability, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Chaplain  Henry  Hopkins,  who  completed  the  term  of 
service  of  the  Regiment. 


NON-COMMISSIONED  STAFF. 

QUARTERMASTER  SERGEANT. 

Barber,  George  P.  Catskill  August  22,  1862.  Promoted  1st  Lieutenant  Co.  K 
March  17,  1863. 

COMMISSARY  SERGEANT. 

Cockburn,  William  J.     August  22,  1862.     Kingston.     Promoted  to  2cl  Lieutenant. 
HOSPITAL  STEWARD. 

Keyser,  Joseph  D.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  Captured  October  10,  1863. 
Was  a  prisoner  at  Andersonville  prison  for  many  months.  Mustered  out  with 
the  Regiment.  Died  at  Kingston  August  13,  1875. 

DRUM  MAJOR. 
Goeller,  August.     August  22,  1862. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.S.    VOLS. 


COMPANY   A. 

Company  A  was  organized  at  Kingston,  N.  Y.,  in  July  and 
August,  1862.  The  company  was  recruited  by  Captain  Abram  L. 
Lockwood,  First  Lieutenant  James  H.  Lockwood,  and  Second  Lieu 
tenant  Edward  H.  Ketchum.  The  men  were  mostly  from  Kingston, 
Hurley,  and  Marl  borough,  and  a  few  from  other  towns  in  Ulster 
County.  After  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg,  Captain  Lockwood  was 
assigned  to  field  duty,  and  Lieutenant  Lockwood  served  as  Aide-de- 
Camp  to  General  Mott.  Lieutenant  Ketchum  having  been  killed  in 
that  battle,  the  company  was  without  a  commissioned  officer,  present 
for  duty.  The  First  Sergeant  was  also  killed,  and  the  Second  Ser 
geant  badly  wounded.  First  Lieutenant  John  B.  Krom,  of  Com 
pany  C,  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  company  about  the 
1 5th  of  July,  1863,  and  served  with  the  company  until  about  the  ist 
of  November,  1863.  Captain  Krom  was  much  respected  by  the 
company  for  his  soldierly  qualities  and  gentlemanly  bearing.  First 
Lieutenant  James  A.  Hyde,  of  Company  G,  was  transferred  to  this 
company  and  promoted  to  captain,  and  commanded  it  during  the 
last  year  of  its  service,  with  marked  ability.  The  company  partici 
pated  in  all  the  services  and  engagements  of  the  regiment,  and  suffered 
severely  from  the  fever  which  prevailed  during  the  first  winter  of  its 
service,  while  encamped  near  Falmouth,  Va.  Besides  the  wounds 
which  proved  fatal,  seventeen  others  received  wounds.  On  October 
10,  1863,  seventeen  men  were  taken  prisoners  by  the  enemy,  in  the 
engagement  at  James  City,  Va.  This  company  was  deployed  some 
four  or  five  hundred  yards  in  advance  of  the  regiment,  which  accounts 
for  its  heavy  loss.  The  original  company  consisted  of: 

Commissioned  officers 3 

Enlisted  men 96 

Received  by  transfer,  officers i        100 

Of  whom  there  were  killed  in  action  and  died  of 
wounds,  commissioned  officers i 

Enlisted   men i  o 

ii 

Carried  forward i l 


238  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  A-Continued. 

Brought  forward 1 1 

Died  in  rebel  prisons 7 

Died  of  disease  in  camp  and  hospital 1 1          1 8 


Total  deaths  in  service 


2t> 


Discharged  on  account  of  wounds  and  disability  ; 

Commissioned  officers i 

Enlisted  men 1 6 

Discharged  for  promotion,   commissioned  officers. .  2 

Discharged  for  other  causes,  enlisted  men 10 

29 

Transferred  : 

Enlisted  men  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps 4 

Enlisted  men  to  Company  E i 

5 

Deserted 4 

Mustered  out  at  Kingston  at  end  of  war  : 

Commissioned  officers 2 

Enlisted  men 3 1         33 


ICO 

Transferred  from  yist  and  72d  Regiments,  N.  Y.  V.  30 

Of  whom  there  was  killed  in  action 2 

Discharged  for  disability  by  general  order 4 

Discharged  for  expiration  of  term  of  service 2 

Discharged  as  supernumerary  non-commiss.  officers       3 

Transferred  to  Navy i 

Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps i 

Transferred  to  73rd  Regiment,  N.  Y.  V 14 

Deserted  before  transfer  to  this  company 3 

3° 
The  company  received  as  recruits  during  winter  of 

1863  and  1864 17 

Of  whom  there  died  in  hospital i 

Transferred  to  73rd  Regiment,  N.  Y.  V 16         17 


Total  enrollment 147 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  239 

COMPANY  A-Continued. 

CAPTAINS. 

Lockwood,  Abram  L.  25.  June  15,  1862.  Kingston.  Mustered  out  with  the 
regiment  at  Kingston  June  3,  1865.  Was  promoted  to  Major,  to  Lieutenant 
Colonel  and  Brevetted  Colonel  of  U.  S.  V.  Was  in  command  of  the  Regi 
ment  during  the  latter  part  of  its  service,  and  was  for  a  time  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  74th  N.  Y.  V.,  and  was  also  for  a  time  in  command  of  the 
nth  Mass.  Vols.  Now  living  in  New  York  City. 

Hyde,  James  A.  July,  1862.  Marlborough.  Mustered  out  with  the  company 
at  Kingston  June  3,  1865.  Promoted  from  First  Lieutenant  of  Company  G 
on  June  4,  1864  and  assigned  to  the  command  of  Company  A.  Wounded 
May  31,  1864.  Living  at  Milton,  N.  Y. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Lockwood,  James  H.  July  15,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  January  30,  1865 
on  account  of  disability  from  wounds.  Was  wounded  October  27,  1864,  while 
serving  as  Aide-de-Camp  on  staff  of  General  Mott.  Living  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 

Ketcham,  Edward  H.  July  15,  1862.  Marlborough.  Killed  at  Gettysburg  July 
2,  1863. 

Brooks,  Thaddeus  C.  21.  July  18,  1862  as  Sergeant.  Was  promoted  to  Second 
Lieutenant  and  to  First  Lieutenant  February  4,  1865,  and  transferred  to 
Company  I.  Wounded  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Prisoner  from  October 
lo,  1863  to  April,  1864.  Living  in  Jackson,  Mich. 

Rosa,  Levi.  29.  August  n,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  June  3,  1865. 
Entered  service  as  private.  Promoted  to  Corporal  August  22,  1862  :  to  Ser 
geant  January  nth,  1863  ;  to  First  Sergeant  January  23,  1864  ;  Second  Lieu 
tenant  February  4,  1865  ;  First  Lieutenant  May  17,  1865.  Prisoner  at  Libby, 
Belle  Isle,  Andersonville,  etc.,  from  October  IO,  1863  to  November  20, 
1864.  Living  at  Kingston,  N.  Y. 

FIRST  SERGEANTS. 

Snyder,  John  S.     38.     August  4,   1862.     Kingston.     Killed  at  Gettysburg  July 

2,  1863. 
Markle,    Alexander.     30.     July   26.     Hurley.     Died   April   2,  1865   of  wounds 

received  in  action  March  25,  1865. 
Robinson,    George.     Transferred   from   72d  N.  Y.  V.     Discharged  October  15, 

1864  as  supernumerary. 
Kittle,  Hiram  D.     21.     August  13,   1862.     Hurley.     Discharged  June  3,  1865. 

Promoted   to  Sergeant    January  I,   1865  ;    to  First  Sergeant  April  3,   1865. 

Living  at  Glenford,  N.  Y. 

SERGEANTS. 

Burger,  Henry.     22.     July  25,   1862.      Kingston.      Taken   prisoner   October   10, 

1863,  and  died  at  Andersonville  June  6,  1864. 
Markle,  John  W.     18.     July  28,  1862.      Hurley.      Died  of  fever  January  11,  1863 

near  Falmouth,  Va. 
Temple,  Truman.     21.     July  18,  1862.     Hurley.     Discharged  G.  O.  No.  77,  A. 

G.  O.  April   28,   1865.      Promoted   to   Sergeant.     Wounded  July   2,   1863. 

Taken  prisoner  March  25,  1865. 


24O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  A-Continued. 

SERGEANTS — Continued. 

•Cowdrey,    Clinton.     25.     July    21,    1862.     Kingston.      Promoted   to   Corporal. 

Wounded  July  2,   1863.     Promoted  to  Sergeant  April  3,   1865.      Living  at 

Kingston,  Sawkill  P.  O. 
•Cudney,  Joseph  H.     22.     August  4,   1862.     Hurley.     Wounded  May  10,   1864. 

Promoted  to  Sergeant  March  I,  1865. 
McGinnis,  James.      Transferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  Y.      Discharged  October  15,  1864 

as  supernumerary. 
Marsh,  William  H.     22.      December  22,   1863.     Transferred  from  ;2d  N.  Y.  V. 

and  transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V.  V.  June  I,  1865. 

CORPORALS. 

Dubois,  Charles  D.  22.  August  15,  1862.  Olive.  Discharged  from  hospital  by 
G.  O.,  No.  77,  A.  G.  O.  May  16,  1865.  Wounded  May  5,  1864.  Living 
at  Jersey  City,  N.  J. 

Dumond,  Charles.  22.  August  1 1,  1862.  Discharged  at  Kingston  June  3,  1865. 
Prisoner  from  October  10,  1863  till  close  of  the  war.  Living  at  Hurley. 

Jones,  Lucius.  Transferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  V.,  and  transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V.  V. 
June  I,  1865. 

Ketcham,  Charles  E.  19.  August  7,  1862.  Maryborough.  Died  in  field  hospital 
February  3,  1863  of  fever,  near  Falmouth,  Va. 

Maines,  Fraley.  23.  July  19,  1862.  Kingston.  Promoted  to  Corporal.  Pris 
oner  from  October  10,  1863  until  May,  1864.  Again  taken  prisoner  March  31, 
1865.  Exchanged  and  discharged  at  Kingston  June  3,  1865.  Died  1886. 

Mogel,  Frederick.  22.  Transferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  V.,  and  transferred  to  73d 
N.  Y.  V.  V.June  I,  1865. 

Moscrip,  Jehial.  Transferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  V.  Killed  in  action  March  31, 
1865. 

Palen,  Jonathan.  23.  July  31,  1862.  Olive.  Discharged  at  Kingston  June  3, 
1865.  Promoted  to  Corporal  April  3,  1865.  Wounded  at  Gettysburg  July 
2,  1863.  Died  at  Samsonville,  N.  Y.  February  3,  1892. 

Rowe,  Frederick  P.  21.  July  21,  1862.  Hurley.  Discharged  at  Kingston 
June  3,  1865.  Promoted  to  Corporal  March  I,  1865.  Prisoner  from  July  2, 
1863  to  September  20,  1863.  Living  at  Kingston. 

Rowe,  Chauncey  H.  21.  August  4,  1862.  Hurley.  Discharged  from  Camp 
Parole,  G.  O.  No.  77  April  28,  1865.  Promoted  to  Corporal.  Taken  pris 
oner  March  31,  1865.  Died  in  Kingston  March  13,  1892. 

Simmons,  John  A.  39.  July  21,  1862.  Kingston.  Died  in  field  hospital 
December  21,  1864. 

Weed,  George  W.  35.  August  4,  1862.  Hurley.  Discharged  March  2,  1863 
.  for  disability.  Living  at  West  Hurley. 

Williams,  George.  35.  Transferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  V.  Discharged  as  super 
numerary. 

MUSICIANS. 

Ealfe,  Frank.  17.  August  13,  1862.  Kingston.  Taken  home  while  sick  and 
afterwards  enlisted  and  served  in  another  regiment,  and  was  honorably  dis 
charged.  Died  December  7,  1889.  Belonged  to  G.  A.  R.,  and  was  buried 
with  the  honors  of  the  order. 

Reinhart,  Richard  M.  J.  16.  August  4,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  at  King 
ston  June  3,  1865. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH   N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2/J.I 

COMPANY  A-Continued. 

PRIVATES. 

Arnold,  Aming  W.     31.     April   12,1865.     Kingston.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y. 

V.  V. 
Boice,  Samuel.     21.     August  13,    1862.     Olive.       Wounded  at   Chancellorsville 

May  3,  1863,  and  died  from  the  wounds  at  3d  Corps  hospital  May  30,  1863. 
Beadle,  Jesse.     18.     July    19,    1862.     Kingston.      Discharged  at  Kingston  June 

3,1865.     Wounded  July  2,  1863.     Living  at  Kingston. 
Baldwin,  John  II.     32.     July  18,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  at  Kingston  June 

3,  1865.     Died  since. 
Brodhead,  James  D.     19.     August  8,   1862.     Kingston.     Transferred   to  V.  R. 

Corps.     Wounded  May  3,  1863  at  Chancellorsville. 
Badgley,  George  W.     27.    August,  13,  1862.    Olive.    Disappeared  June  28,  1863, 

while  on  march  to  Gettysburg.     Never  since  heard  from. 
Bundy,  David  A.    41.    August  13,  1862.    Hurley.      Discharged  January  5,  1863, 

on  account  of  physical  disability. 
Burger,  Hiram.    35.    December  28,  1863.    Hurley.    Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 

V.     Living  at  West  Hurley. 

Buley,  Wesley.     21.     January  11,  1864.     Olive.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V.  V. 
Bernard,  Fritz.     20.     Transferred  from  yistN.  Y.  V,;  transferred  to  73d  N.  Y. 

V.  V. 
Boggs,  George  A.     27.     October  28,  1861,     Delhi.     Transferred  from  7 1st  N.Y. 

V.     Discharged  November  7,  1864  by  reason  of  expiration  of  service.     Living 

at  Stamford,  N.  Y. 
Conlon,   Patrick.     21.     August   4,    1862.     Kingston.      Discharged   at  Kingston 

Tune  3,  1865.     Served  with  Battery  K,  4th  U.  S.  Artillery.     Was  wounded. 

Was  accidentally  killed  October  8,  1888.       Was  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R., 

and  was  buried  with  the  honors  of  the  order. 
Countryman,  Robert  H.     26.     August  18,  1862.     Warwarsing.     Died  at  Ander- 

sonville  August  5,  1864. 

Christiana,   George.     35.     August   14,    1862.     Kingston.       Died  in  hospital  Sep 
tember  25,  1863,  of  wounds  received  in  action  July  2,  1863. 
Cobbett,  John.     22.     Transferred   from   ;ist  N.   Y.  V.     Discharged  October  19, 

1864  by  reason  of  expiration  of  term  of  service. 

Duncan,  William  H.     22.     August  5,  1862.     Marlborough.     Discharged  at  Kings 
ton  June  3,  1865.     Wounded  October  14,  1864. 
Dumond,  Edward  B.     19.      August  6,  1862.    Hurley.     Discharged  December  26, 

1864.  Disabled  by   loss  of  left  arm  at  siege  of  Petersburg,  Va.     Living  at 
Fishkill,  X.  Y. 

Dumond,  Conrad  W.  24.  August  4,  1862.  Hurley.  Taken  prisoner  October 
10,  1863.  Died  at  Andersonville  Prison  August  14,  1864. 

Dumond,  Philander  W.  21.  August  6,  1862.  Hurley.  Died  July  31,  1863  of 
wounds  received  in  action  July  2,  1863  at  Gettysburg. 

Dumond,  William  C.  28.  August  4,  1862.  Hurley.  Died  February  14.  1863, 
of  chronic  diarrhoea. 

Doyle.  Abram  II .  40.  August  9,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  at  Kingston 
'  June  3,  1865.  Died  since. 

DuBois,  John  T.     24.     August  II,  1862.     Olive.     Discharged  at  Kingston  June  3, 

1865.  Living  at  Olive. 

Delamater,  William  R.  30.  July  22,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  January  5, 
1863  from  hospital  on  account  of  physical  disability. 

16 


242  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  A-Continued. 

PRIVATES— Continued. 

Davis,   Isaac.     20.      August    13,   1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  June  11,   1864. 

Disabled  by  wounds. 
Davis,    David.     34.     August    4,   1862.     Maryborough.     Discharged  at   Kingston 

June  3,  1865. 
Davis,  Daniel.     22.     August  6,  1862.     Marlborough.     Taken  prisoner  October  I or 

1863.  Died  in  prison,  at  Belle  Isle,  March  I,  1864. 

Davis,  Ferris  G.     21.     August  6,  1862.     Marlborough.     Discharged  January  5*. 

1864.  Disabled  by  wounds. 

Devoe,  George.     35.     Transferred  from  yist  N.  Y.  V.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y. 

V.  V. 

Drew,    Philip.     40.     September   29,    1862.     New    York.     Transferred   to   Navy- 
August  27,  1864,  by  order  War  Department. 
Ellsworth,  William    H.     44.     July  22,  1862.     Hurley.     Discharged  at   Kingston 

June  3,  1865.     Living  at  Hurley. 

Ennist,  James.     18.     April  12,  1865.    Kingston.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V.  V. 
Freer,  John  J.     27.     July  28,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  by  G.  O.,  No.  77,  A. 

G.  O.  April  28,  1*865.     Wounded  May  5,  1864.     Living  at 'Stone  Ridge. 
Farrington,  Thomas  H.     30.      Transferred  from  7 1st  N.   Y.   V.      Never  reported 

for  duty.     Discharged'  by  G.  O.,  No.  77,  A.  G.  O.  April  28,  1865. 
Fox,  Joseph.     22.     April  12,   1865.     Kingston.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V.  V* 
Gridley,  William.     21.     December  10,  1863.    \Voodstock.     Transferred  to  73d  N, 

Y.  V.  V.     Living  at  Woodstock. 
Gerhardt,    Jacob.     55.     Transferred  from  yist  N.  Y.  V.     Transferred  to  73d  N. 

Y.  V.  V. 
Herron,    Charles.     19.     August   5,    1862.     Kingston.     Discharged   at   Kingston 

June  3,  1865.     Prisoner  from  October  10,  1863  to  November  20,  1864. 
Hughes,  John  R.     18.     August   13,   1862.     Kingston.     Killed  in  action  May  5, 

1864. 
Hockrin.  Nicholas.     43.     Transferred  from  yist  N.  Y.  V.     Transferred  to  73d  N. 

Y.  V.  V. 

Hughes,  George.     19.     July  2,  1864.    Kingston.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V.  V. 
Hughes,    Daniel.     20.     Transferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  V.     Discharged  for  disability 

by  order  War  Department. 
Ingraham,  Gilbert.     30.     Transferred  from  720!  N.  Y.  V.     Transferred  to  73d  N. 

Y.  V.  V. 

Joy,  Peter  Jr.     25.       August  13,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  at  Kingston  June 
3/1865.      Was  wounded. 

Kittle,  John  E.     20.     August  13,  1862.     Hurley.     Killed  in  action  May  31,  1864. 
Knapp,  Jerome  B.     28.     August  14,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  by  G.  O.,  No. 

77,  A.  G.  O.  April  28,  1865.     Prisoner  from  October  IO,  1863  to  end  of  war. 

Died  July  22,  1885.    4Was  a  member  of  the  G.  A.   R.,  and  was  buried  with 

the  honors  of  the  order. 
Kimbark,  John  H.     21.     August  7,  1862.     Marlborough.     Died  in  hospital  April 

5,  1863  of  fever. 
Keator,  Alfred  L.     27.     January  1 8,  1864.     Kingston.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y. 

V.  V.     Was  wounded  April  6,  1865. 
Loncoy,  George.      19.     July  31,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  by  G.  O.,  No.  77,. 

A.  G.  O.  April  28,  1865.     Prisoner  from  October  10,  1863,  to  end  of  war. 


ONE   HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  243 

COMPANY  A-Continued. 

r  R  iv  AT  ES  —  Continued. 

^led  in  action  May  3, 


Lockwood,  John  W.  35.  July  25,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  at  Kingston 
June  3,  1865.  Died  September,  1888.  Was  a  member  of  the  G.  -A.  R  and 
was  buried  with  the  honors  of  the  order. 

'     27'     Transferred  from  72nd  N-  Y-  V-     Transferred  to  V.  R. 


ric!:.     21.     Transferred 

No.  77,  A.  G.  O.  April  28,  1865. 
Laon,  James.    24.    Transferred  from  72nd  N.  Y.  V.    Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V.  V. 
Moe,  Ezra  L.     21.     August  6,  1862.     Olive.     Discharged  from  hospital  by  G  O 

No.  77,  A.  G.  O.  April  28,  1865. 

Moe    George  W.     22.     August  7,  1862.     Olive.     Discharged  from  hospital  bv  G 

O.,  No.  77,  A.  G.  O.  April  28,  1865.     Wounded  July  2,  1863. 
Moe,  William  H.     22.     August  5,    1862.     Olive.     Discharged  at  Kingston  June 

3,  1865.     Served  in  Battery  K,  4th  U.  S.  Artillery.     Living  at  Olive.     ' 
Mains   Abram.     19.     July  18,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  at  Kingston  June  7 

1865.      Prisoner  from  October  10,  1863  to  May,  1864.     Died  at  Kingston.     ' 
Masten,  Hezekiah.     21.     August  1 1,  1862.     Marlborough.     Transferred  to  V.  R 

Corps,  for  disability. 

Mackey,  John  H.      18.     August  12,  1862.     Marlborough.     Died  in  hospital  near 
falmouth,  Va.  January  5,  1863  of  fever. 

Margenson,  John.     21.     August  7,  1862.     Marlborough.     Discharged  at  Kingston 

June  3,  1865.     Wounded  May  10,  1864. 
Miller,  Henry.     30.     Transferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  V.     Discharged  by  G.  O.    No 

77,  A.  G.  O.  April  28,  1865.     Wounded  November,  1862. 
Myers,  Henry.     35.     Transferred  from  jist  N.  Y.  V.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y. 

V.  V. 

McNamara,  Michael.     37.     Transferred  from  7ist  N.  Y.  V.     Transferred  to  73(5 
Osterhoudt,  Peter  V.     24.      July  31,  1862.      Olive.     Discharged  at  Kingston  June 

Offerman.  John.     33.     Attica. 

Flass,  Abram  H.     31.     July  19,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  at  Kingston  June 

3,1865.     Living  at  Amsterdam,  N.  Y. 
P!asc"t,    John.     23.     Transferred   from  72d  N.   Y.  V.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y. 

V.  V.      Wounded,   August,    1864. 
Oailiy,  James.     23.      Transferred  from  7ist  N.  Y.  V.     Transferred  to  73d  N.   Y. 

Rhodes,  William  II.  July  30,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  by  G.  O.,  No.  77, 
A.  G.  O.  April  28,  1865.  Prisoner  from  October  10,  1863  to  November  20, 
1864.  Wounded,  March  31,  1865. 

Ryan,  James.      18.     July  29,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  at  Kingston  June  3, 

1865.      Wounded  July  2,  1863.     Living  at  Kingston. 

Rice,  Julian  D.  26.  August  II,  1862.  Kingston.  Prisoner  October  10,1863, 
and  died  in  Andersonville  prison  March,  1864. 


244  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  A-Continued. 

PRIVATES— Continued. 

Rosepaugh,  Dubois.     18.     August    14,    1862.     Kingston.     Prisoner   October  10, 

1863,  and  died  in  Andersonville  prison  July  4,  1864. 

Roe,  William  \V.     24.     August  6,  1862.    Kingston.     Killed  in  action  at  Chancel- 

iorsville  May  3,  1863. 
Rose,  George  M.     August  13,  1862.     Olive.     Died  of  fever  January  17,  1863  near 

Falrnouth,  Va. 
Snyder,  William.     34.     August  5,  1862.     Hurley.     Discharged  January  5,  1863 

on  account  of  physical  disability.     Living  at  West  Hurley. 

Schryver,  Richard  P.     44.     August  12,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  at  Kings 
ton  June  3,  1865.     Prisoner  from  October  IO,  1863  to  March  6,  1864. 
Shultis,  Isaac  E.     34.     August  12,  1862.     Woodstock.     Died  of  fever  December 

20,  1862  near  Falmouth,  Va. 
Sickler,  Gilbert  D.     18.     July  19,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  January  19,  1863 

on  account  of  physical  disability.     Living  at  Rondout,  N.  Y. 
Sears,  Orrin  D.     19.     July  18,  1862.     Shandaken.     Lost  near  "  Point  of  Rocks," 

Md.  June  28,  1863,  while  on  march  to  Gettysburg.      Never  heard  from  to  this 

time. 
Simmons,  David  A.     21.     January  4,   1864.     Hurley.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y. 

V.  V.     Living  at  West  Hurley. 
Smith,  Philip.     21.     January  4,  1864.    Hurley.    Died  in  Hospital  August  10,  1864 

of  chronic  diarrhoea. 
Smith.  William.    84.     July  18,  1862.    Kingston.    Discharged  at  Kingston  June  3, 

1865. 

Smith,  John.     32.     Transferred  from  yist  N.  Y.  V.    Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V.  V. 
Schrader,  Jacob.     18.     Transferred  from  7ist  N.  Y.  V.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y. 

V.  V. 
Spencer,  Edwin.     24.     January  u,  1864.     Kingston.     Transferred  to  730!  N.  Y. 

V.  V. 
Temple,  Alexander.     21.     January  4,  1864.     Hurley.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y. 

V.  V. 
Terwilliger,    Elmore.     18.      August    I,    1862.      Marlborough.      Killed  in  action 

October  27,  1864. 
Terwilliger,   Jeremiah.     18.     August    7,    1862.      Marlborough.      Discharged    at 

Kingston  June  3,   1865.     Prisoner  from  October  10,   1863  to  November  20, 

1864.  Living  in  New  York  City. 

Terbush,  Isaac.  40.  August  13,  1862.  Kingston.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  Corps. 
Died  at  Kingston  April,  1887. 

Toth,  Franklin.  23.  August  13,  1862.  Kingston.  Died  November  3,  1862  of 
fever. 

VanTassel,  Elijah.  18.  July  28,  1862.  Kingston.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Re 
serve  Corps.  Wounded,  May  3,  1863.  Living  at  Saugerties. 

VanTassel,  David.  27.  August  13,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  at  Kingston 
June  3,  1865.  Dead. 

Van  Leuven,  John  A.  43.  August  9,  1862.  Kingston.  Died,  May  10,  1865  of 
congestion. 

Van  Velsen,  Jacob  W.  22.  August  7,  1862.  Kingston.  \Vounded  and  taken 
prisoner  October  10,  1863,  and  died  in  Andersonville  prison  March  20,  1864. 

Vill,  Michael.     26.     Transferee!  from  7ist  N.  Y.  V.     Killed  in  action  July  27, 1864. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 
COMPANY  A-Continued. 


PRIVATES —  Continued. 

Wolven,  Andrew.  29.  August  5,  1862.  Hurley.  Discharged  at  Kin  -ston 
June  3,  1865.  Wounded  July  2,  1*63  and  May  10,  1864.  Died  at  West 
Hurley,  November  10,  1890.  Was  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  K.,  and  was  buried 
with  the  honors  of  the  order. 

Wolven,  Moses.  26.  August  12,  1862.  Hurley.  Discharged  at  Kingston  June 
3,  1865.  Living  at  West  Hurley. 

Wolven,  Nathan.  24.  August  6,  1862.  Hurley.  Discharged  at  Kingston  Tune 
3,  1865.  Living  at  West  Hurley. 

Warren,  Austin  I.  34.  August  13,  1862.  Olive.  Discharged  at  Kingston  June 
3,  1865.  Dead. 

Warren,  Washington.  25.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  from  hos 
pital  by  G.  O.  No.  77,  A.  G.  O.  April  28,  1865.  Wounded  May  5,1864. 

WThite,  William.  32.  August  II,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  at  Kingston 
June  3,  1865.  Prisoner  from  July  2,  1863  to  September  20,  1863.  Wounded 
November  29,  1863.  Died  at  Kingston  January  4,  1892. 

Winchell,  Gilbert  D.  18.  March  7,  1864.  Kingston.  Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y. 
V.  V.  Living  in  Illinois. 

Wade,  John  C.     24.     January  24,  1864.     Olive.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V.  V. 

Warren,  Henry,  21.  January  25,  1864.  Kingston.  Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y. 
V.  V. 

Wands,  George  R.     18.     December  14,  1863.     Kingston.     Transferred  to  73d  N. 

Y.  V.  V.     Wounded  May  5,  1864.     Living. 
Ware,  John  A.     29.     July  31,  1862.     Kingston.    Transferred  to'Company  E,  i2Oth 

York,  William.  30.  August  u,  1862.  Marlborough.  Discharged  at  Kingston 
June  3,  1865.  Wounded  July  2,  1863.  Living  at  Milton. 

The  following  deserted  from  the  Company  :  David  A.  Martin,  James  H.  Dela- 
mater,  Win.  H.  Lane,  Win.  D.  Myers. 

The  following  were  transferred  to  the  Company,  as  deserters  from  the  7ist  Regi 
ment,  N.  Y.  V.  :  Patrick  Dunn,  Michael  ilaverty,  Chas.  Partenheimer. 


246  ONE  HUNDRED  AND    TWENTIETH  N.  V.  S.  VOLS. 


COMPANY  B. 

Company  B  was  recruited  by  Captain  Simon  S.  Westbrook,  First 
Lieutenant  Rodney  B.  Newkirk,  and  Second  Lieutenant  Dumond 
Elmendorf.  Captain  Westbrook  and  Lieutenant  Elmendorf  were 
discharged  for  physical  disability,  and  Lieutenant  Newkirk  was  pro 
moted  to  Captain,  and  remained  in  command  of  the  company  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  Second  Lieutenant  William  A.  Norton,  of 
Company  C,  was  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant  of  the  company,  but 
did  not  serve  with  it,  and  was  discharged  for  physical  disability, 
August  28,  1863.  First  Sergeant  Edgar  Simpkins  was  promoted  to 
Second  Lieutenant,  and  to  First  Lieutenant.  Ambrose  M.  Barber, 
Sergeant  Major,  was  promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant  of  this  company, 
August  16,  1864,  and  to  Captain  of  Company  I,  February  4,  1865. 
Albert  Carr  was  promoted  to  Sergeant  Major,  August  22,  1862. 
Albert  Rider  was  promoted  Second  Lieutenant,  Company  I,  in  Novem 
ber,  1863.  The  company  entered  the  service  with  : 

Commissioned  officers .  _  .  3 

Enlisted  men 94  •       97 


Of  the  number,   there  were  killed  in  action  or  died 

from  wounds 1 1 

Died  from  disease  and  accident 13 


Total  deaths  in  service 24 

Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps 13 

Discharged  for  physical  disability 13 

Transferred  for  promotion 4 

Reported  as  deserted 8 

Mustered  out  with  regiment,  and  by  general  orders.  35          73 


97 
Joined  by  transfer  officer i 

In  the  later  part  of  the  year  1864,  a  number  of  recruits  were  received, 
and  the  re-enlisted  men  of  the  7ist  and  72d  Regiments,  N.  Y.  V., 
were  transferred.  Company  B  had  an  addition,  in  this  way,  of  66 
men  to  its  company  roll,  making  the  total  number  on  the  roll  164, 
although  not  more  than  one-half  actually  served  with  the  company. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.S.    VOLS. 


The  missing  in  action,   deserters,  sick  and  detailed  men,  of  the  yist 
and  72d,  being  taken  up  on  the  company's  rolls.     In  all  these  com 
pany  records  the  list  of  deserters  is  larger  than  it  should  be,  as  many  of 
those  reported  as  deserters  on  the  rolls,  fell  out  of  the  ranks,  sick,  and 
were  sent  to  hospital,  or  taken  prisoners  by  the  enemy,   and  to  this 
•day  the  fate  of  many  of  them  is  unknown  to  those  who  should  have 
heard  from  them  if  they  were  living,  at  the  close  of  the  war.     Of  the 
transferred  men,  there  were  : 

Killed  in  action  ...............................       3 

Died  of  disease  ...............................        2 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  muster  out  roll  of  Company  B,  to 
which  is  added  such  other  personal  history  as  is  available  : 

CAPTAINS. 

"Westbrook,  Simon  S.  40.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  April  13, 
1863  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability.  In  1864  he  was  elected  Sheriff' 
of  Ulster  county.  He  afterward  held  the  offices  of  City  Assessor  and  Justice 
of  the  Peace.  He  died  December  29,  1891,  aged  70  years. 

Newkirk,  Rodney  B.  24.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  June  3, 
1865.  First  Lieutenant,  promoted  to  Captain  April  13,  1863.  Wounded 
March  25,  1865.  Died  in  1868,  unmarried.  The  One  Hundred  and  Twen 
tieth  Regimental  Union  erected  a  Monument  at  his  grave  in  the  Sharpe  burial 
grounds,  in  Kingston. 

LIEUTENANTS. 

Norton,  William  A.  August  22,  1862.  New  York.  Discharged  August  28,  1863 
on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability.  Promoted  from  Second  Lieutenant, 
Company  C  April  13,  1863.  Now  living  in  New  York  city. 

Simpkins,  Edgar.  24.  July  22,  1862.  Kingston.  Promoted  from  First  Ser 
geant  to  Second  Lieutenant  April  13,  1863;  First  Lieutenant  July  5,  1864. 
Detailed  to  draft  rendezvous  at  Riker's  Island,  N.  Y.  in  July,  1863.  He 
remained  on  detached  service  till  he  lost  his  life  by  the  burning  at  sea  of  the 
U.  S.  Transport  General  Lyon  March  31,  1865. 

Elmendorf,  Dumond.  37.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  April  I, 
1863  on  Surgeons  certificate  of  disability,  and  died  at  Kingston,  1876. 

Barber,  Ambrose  M.  21.  July  23,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  February  4, 
1865.  Promoted  from  private  to  Sergeant  November  I,  1863  ;  to  Sergeant- 
Major  May  5,  1864  ;  Second  Lieutenant  August  16,  1864  ;  to  Captain.  Com 
pany  I,  February  4,  1865.  Wounded  May  5,  1864.  Present  address,  Brook 
lyn,  N.  Y. 

"Wood,  James  N.  18.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  Trans 
ferred  to  73d  ;  not  mustered.  Discharged  June  3,  1865.  W7as  promoted  from 
Sergeant  to  First  Lieutenant  January,  1865.  Wounded  October  2,  1864. 

SERGEANTS. 

Folant,  William  H.     21.     July  23,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  June  3,  1865. 
Promoted  from  Sergeant  to  First  Sergeant  November  I,  1863.     Commissi 
Second  Lieutenant  ;  not  nmsterea.     Wounded  at  Poplar  Grove  Church,  and  in 
front  of  Petersburg.     Residence  Kingston,  N.  Y. 


248  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

COMPANY  B-Continued. 

SERGE  ANTS— Continued. 

Philips,  Stephen  H.  32.  July  28,  1862.  Samsonville.  Deserted  from  General 
hospital  May  18,  1863. 

Elmendorf,  Benjamin.  26.  August  6,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  February 
19,  1863  on  account  of  disability.  Present  residence  Hurley,  N.  Y. 

Gossoo,  Ambrose  S.  25.  August  8,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  February  13,. 
1865  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.  July  2,  1862.  Pres 
ent  residence  Pine  Hill,  N.  Y. 

Atkins,  Alfred.  23.  July  26,  1862.  Kingston.  Promoted  to  Corporal  March  I, 
1863  ;  to  Sergeant  November  I,  1863.  Killed  in  action  October  27,  1864. 

VanEtten,  Mortimer.  36.  August  13,  1862.  Kingston.  Promoted  from  Corporal 
to  Sergeant  March  I,  1863.  Died  in  general  hospital  June  5,  1863,  from, 
wounds  received  at  Chancellorsville  May  3,  1863. 

Lawffer,  Jacob.  18.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  72d  Regiment  N.  Y.  V.  Discharged  June  20,  1864  by  G.  CL 
No.  76  War  Department  1863. 

Burke,  John.  37.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station  Virginia.  V.  V.  Trans 
ferred  from  72d  Regiment  June  20,  1864.  Promoted  from  Corporal  to  Sergeant 
March  7,  1865.  Transferred  to  73d  Regiment  N.  Y.  V. 

Menger,  Frederick.  31.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  72d  Regiment  N.  Y.  V.  June  20,  1864.  Promoted  from 
Corporal  to  Sergeant  May  20,  1865.  Transferred  to  73d  Regiment  N.  Y.V. 

O'Brien,  William.  21.  August  9,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  June  3,  1865. 
Promoted  from  Corporal  to  Sergeant  November  I,  1863.  Wounded  at  Get 
tysburg  July  2,  1863. 

Dean,  James.  23.  August  22,  1862.  New  York.  Discharged  June  3,1865. 
Transferred  from  72d  Regiment  N.  Y.  V.  June  20,  1864,  as  Corporal  pro 
moted  to  Sergeant  February  13,  1865. 

CORPORALS. 

Smith,  Henry.     41.     August  4,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  June  3,  1865. 
Ranson,  Albert  H.     19.     Augnst  3,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  June  3,  1865. 
Absent  sick.     Taken  prisoner  May  5,  1864. 

Bray,  Hilan.  24.  July  29,  1862.  Kingston.  Killed  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.  July  2,. 
1863. 

Bishop,  Barnett.  21.  July  29,  1862.  Kingston.  Killed  in  action  at  Chancellors 
ville  May  3,  1863. 

Merritt,  Peter.  23.  August  6,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  June  3,  1865. 
Absent  sick.  Died  at  Kingston  December  4,  1886. 

Barham,  John.  28.  August  2.  1862.  Kingston.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  Aug 
ust  10,  1864. 

Mallon,  Thomas.  24.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  72d  Regiment  N.  Y.  V.  June  20,  1864;  transferred  to  73d  N.. 
Y.  V.  Discharged  June  3,  1865. 

Eck,  Andrew.  33.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  to  73d  Regiment  N.  Y.  V.  Discharged  June  3,  1865. 

Laid,  John.  24.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V.  Trans 
ferred  from  72d  Regiment  N.  Y.  V.  Transferred  to  730!  Regiment  N.  Y.  V. 
Discharged  June  3,  1865.  Taken  prisoner  November  6,  1864. 

Berrand,  Adam.     26.     December  24,    1863.     Brandy  Station,   Virginia.     V.   V. 
Transferred  from  72d  Regiment  N.  Y.  V.     Promoted  to  Corporal  March  7 
1865.     Transferred  to  73d  Regiment  N.  Y.  V.     Discharged  June  3,  1865. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  249 

COMPANY  B-Continued. 

CORPORALS— Continued. 

Gleason,  Michael.     28.     December  24,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred  from  72d  Regiment  N.  Y.  V.      Discharged  by  G.  O.  86,  War 

Department. 
Loderhose,  George.     22.     December  24,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred   from  720!  Regiment   N.  Y.  V.     Discharged  by  G.  O.  86,  War 

Department. 

Dean,  Henry  W.  18.  July  28,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  June  3,  1865. 
Wounded  at  Gettysburg,  July  2,  1863.  Piomoted  to  Corporal  February  13, 
1865. 

Mann,  Peter.  32.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V.  Trans 
ferred  from  72d  Regiment  N.  Y.  V.  Discharged  by  G.  O.  86,  War  Depart- 
ment. 

Chase,  Clarke.  21.  August  9,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  June  12,  1864. 
Promoted  to  Corporal  March  I,  1864.  Died  from  wounds  received  in  action 
May  31,  1864. 

Shirter,  Richard  G.  20.  December  21,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  yist  Regiment  N.  Y.  V.  July  7,  1864.  Mustered  out  by  G. 
O.  77,  War  Department.  Taken  prisoner  March  25,  1865.  Wounded  No 
vember  5,  1864. 

MUSICIANS. 

McClung,  William  B.  19.  August  7,  1862.  Kingston.  Died  at  Brandy  Station,. 
Virginia  March  4,  1864. 

Terwilliger,  Aaron  B.  30.  August  7,  1862.  Kingston.  Transferred  to  V.  R. 
C.  April,  1864.  Residence  Kingston,  N.  Y. 

Dorse,  John.  17.  September  I,  1862.  New  York.  Transferred  from  7ist  N. 
Y.  Y.  July  7,  1864.  Discharged  June  3,  1865. 

King,  Julius.  16.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V.  Trans 
ferred  from  72d  Regiment  N.  Y.  V.  June  20,  1864  transferred  to  73d  Regi 
ment  N.  Y.  V.  June,  1865. 

WAGONER. 

Deyo,  James.  40.  August  9,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  June  3,  1865, 
Residence  Lexington,  N.  Y. 

PRIVATES. 

Armstrong,  Orrin  A.  28.  August  1.2,  1862.  Kingston.  Mustered  out  by  G.  O. 
77,  War  Department.  Wounded  May  31,  1864.  Died  October  1870. 

Avery,  Sniffin.     24.     August  20,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  June  3,  1865. 

Avery,  George  H.  22.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  Deserted  from  General 
hospital  April,  1863. 

Brink,  James  D.  43.  Tuly  28,  1862.  Kingston.  December  I,  1863  transferred 
to  V.  R.  C. 

Bannon,  John.     27.     July  26,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  June  3,  1865. 

Buleye,  William.  32.  August  II,  1862.  Kingston.  Died  in  general  hospital 
December  I,  1862. 

Burger,  Peter  M.  37.  July  25,  1862.  Samsonville.  September  I  1863  trans 
ferred  to  V.  R.  C. 


25O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  B-Continued. 

PRIVATES—  Continued. 

Bundy,  James.     31.     December   28,  1863.     Kingston.     Mustered   out  by  G.  O. 

77,  War  Department.     Recruit.     Taken  prisoner  Novemter  6,  1864. 
Botz,  John.     19.     October  29,  1862.     New  York.     June  20,  1864  transferred  from 

72d  N.  Y.  V.     Absent  sick.     Mustered  out  by  G.  O.  77,  War  Department. 
Barber,  William  H.     18.     January  5,  1864.     Kingston.     Recruit,    transferred   to 

73d  Regiment  N.  Y.  V.     Discharged  June  3,  ^1865. 

Bragg,  Seneca  S.     56.     January  30,  1864.     Recruit,  transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 
Bailey,  Oscar  O.     16.    January  16,  1864.     Delhi,  N.  Y.     Recruit,  sick,  general 

hospital.     M.  O.  G.  O.  77,  War  Department. 
•  Beach,  August.     35.     April  6,  1864.     New  York.     Recruit,  transferred  to  73d  N. 

Bowers,  Christian.     45.     December  26,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred  from  yist  N.  Y.  V.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 
Brennen,  James.     35.     December   26,    1863.     Brandy   Station,   Virginia.     Y.  V. 

Transferred  from    72d,  transferred  to   73d    N.  Y.  V.     Wounded.     March  21, 

J865,  general  hospital. 

Brockleman,  Ernest.  28.  December  26,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  V.  Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V.  Sick  in  general 
hospital. 

•Carson,  Alonzo.  18.  December  28,  186^5.  Kingston.  Recruit.  Transferred  to 
73d  N.  Y.  V. 

Cochran,  Thomas.     20.     December  25,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred  from  yist  N.  Y.  V.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 
Carson,  George  P.     21.     August  9,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  May  17,  1865. 

Wounded   September  24,  1864.     Discharged  from  general  hospital  May  17, 

1 865 .      Lost  an  arm . 

Crook,  Alfred.     23.     August    1 1,    1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  June   3,    1865. 

Member  Metropolitan  Police  in  New  York  city. 
Carr,    Albert.     21.     August  13,    1862.     Kingston.     Promoted  to  Sergeant-major 

August  22,  1862. 

Cole,  Alfred  C.     22.     August  n,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  January  5,   1863 

on  account  of  disability. 
Comvay,   Peter  P.     21.     July  23,    1863.     Kingston.     Discharged  November  27, 

1862  on  account  of  disability.     Present  residence  Kingston. 
Clansman,   Henry.     39.     August    n,  1862.     New    York.     Transferred   from  72d 

N.  Y.  V.  June  20,  1864.     Discharged  April  4,  1865. 
Coddington,  William.     26.     August  13.  1862.     Kingston,     Transferred  to  V.  R. 

C.     Discharged  March  15,  1864.     Wounded  at  Chancellorsville  May  3,  1863. 
Clifford,  Jeremiah.     35.     July  26,  1862.     Deserted  from  regiment  June  24,  1863. 

Returned  to  regiment  and  sentenced  by  G.  C.  M.   to  forfeit  all  pay   then  due, 

and  to  make  good  all  time  lost  by  desertion,  and  forfeit  one-half  monthly  pay 

for  the   balance  of  his  term  of  enlistment.     Deserted    from  hospital  February 

13,    1865. 

Delamater,  Lewis.     18.    July   28,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged   June   3,  1865. 

Wounded  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863. 
Dean,    Allen   G.     22.     August    15,  1862.     Kingston.     Wounded    at   Gettysburg 

July  2,  1863.     Taken  prisoner  May  10,  1864.     In  general  hospital  Baltimore, 

Md.      M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Dicker,  Daniel  D.    33.    August  12,  1862.    Kingston.    June,  1863.    Transferred  to 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  25  I 

COMPANY  B-Continued. 

P  R I  v  ATES — Continued. 

Dates   Henry.     44      July  24,  1862.     Kingston.     March   31,  1864   transferred  to 

V.  K.  C.     Died  at  Kingston  July  2,  1890. 
Delisle,  Daniel.     44.     November  18,  1861.     St.  Clairville.     Transferred  from  72d 

N.  Y.  V.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  February  15,  1864. 
Donovan,  John.     38.     August  2,  1862.     Kingston.     February  13,  1865  transferred 

Dawoldt,  Daniel.      18.     August  6,  1862.     Kingston.     Transferred   to  73d   N.  Y 
V.     Deserted  June  28,  1863.     Surrendered  March  II,  1865,  under  President's 
proclamation. 

Dougherty,  Bernard  J.  28.  December  25,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V 
V.  Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 

Decker,  James  W.  28.  July  29,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  February  14, 
1863  on  account  of  disability. 

Ellsworth,  James  P.  D.     21.     August  6,  1862.     Kingston.     Transferred  to  Y.  R. 

C.     March  15,  1864.     Wounded  May  3,  1863.     Residence  Hurley,  N.  Y. 
Ellsworth,    Cornelius.     20.     August    16,  1862.      Kingston.     Discharged    Tune    ^ 

1865.     Residence  Hurley,  N.  Y. 

Elmendorf,  Philip  H.  42.  August  8,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  Tune  v 
1865.  Died  at  Hurley,  N.  Y. 

Engalls,  John.  19.  August  26,  1862.  New  York.  Transferred  from  72d  N.  Y. 
V.  June  20,  1864.  Sick  at  general  hospital. 

Ennist,  Stephen  B.  37.  August  7,  1862.  Kingston.  Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y. 
V.  to  serve  out  time  lost  by  desertion. 

Edmonds,  Albert.  32.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  Y.  V. 
Transferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  V.  June  20,  1864,  as  absent  without  leave.  Trans 
ferred  to  73d  Regiment  N.  Y.  V. 

France,  Howard  A.     21.     August  9,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  June  3,  1865. 

Fahey,  Martin.  23.  December  25,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  V.  Wounded.  March  25,  1865.  at  general  hospi 
tal.  Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 

Foster,  Thomas.  23.  December  25,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  7ist  N.  Y.  V.  as  a  deserter.  Transferred  to  731!  N.  Y.  Y. 

Grant,  William  P.  25.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  Deserted  from  division 
hospital  April,  1863. 

Hommell,  Egbert.     21.     August  7,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  June  3,  1865. 

Haver,  John  W.  43.  August  9,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  June  3,  1865. 
Wounded  May  31,  1864. 

Huson,  Lewis.     24.     August  6,  1862.     Kingston.     Discharged  June  3,  1865. 

Hand,  William.     33.     August  14,  1862.     Kingston.      Discharged  June  3,  1865. 

Hawser,  Andrew.  21.  September  27,  1862.  Transferred  from  720 

N.  Y.  V.  Sick  general  hospital.  M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Hampton,  Joseph.  35.  September  26,  1862.  New  York.  Transferred  from 
72d  N.  Y.  V.  Sick  general  hospital.  M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Healy,  William.  29.  September  15,  1864.  Substitute.  Sick  general  hospital. 
M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Hammond,  David.  30.  December  13,  1861.  Delhi,  N.  Y.  Transferred  from 
72d  N.  Y.  V.  Discharged  at  expiration  of  service.  Taken  prisoner  November 
6,  1864. 

Hennes.  John.  27.  December  25,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  Y.  Y.  Trans 
ferred  from  7istN.  Y.  V.  Discharged  by  G.  O.  No.  86,  July  7,  1864. 


252  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  B-Continued. 

P  R I V  ATES  —  Continued. 

Haver,  George.  21.  August  8,  1862.  Samsonville.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C., 
September  30,  1863. 

Hansleifer,  Conrad.  24.  December  14,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia,  V,  V. 
Transferred  from  72d  N.  V.  V.  Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 

Haight,  David  P.  22.  July  31,  1862.  Kingston.  Killed  at  Chancellorsville 
May  3,  1863. 

Hager,  Austin.  24.  March  16,  1864.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V.  Trans 
ferred  from  72d  N.  V.  V.  June  20,  1864.  Died  February  n,  1865. 

Hornbeek,  Johannis  D.     23.     August  6,  1862.     Kingston.     Accidentally  killed  at 

Elmira,  N.  Y.  February  17,  1865. 

.  Ingraham,  William.  19.  December  26,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  V.  Sick  in  general  hospital.  Transferred  to  73d 

Jones.  Stephen  P.     32.     August  6,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 

Joy,  William.     27.     August  n,  1862.     Kingston.     January  30,  1863;  discharged 

on  account  disability.     Residence  Kingston,  N.  Y. 
Johnston,  William.     22.     December  24,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  V.  June  20,  1864.     Supposed  to  have  been  killed 

in  action  October  27,  1864. 

Joy,  John  B.     21.     August  9,  1862.     Kingston.     Died  of  disease  January  6,  1863. 
Kelly,  Jr.,  John.     22.     August  n,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 
Kelly,  Edward.     19.     August  1 1,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865.     Wounded  at 
Gettysburg  July  2,  1863. 

Krom,  William  H.  19.  August  8,  1862.  Kingston.  Wounded  at  Chancellors 
ville  May  3,  1863.  M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Kearney,  Patrick.  44.  July  28,  1862.  Samsonville.  April  28,  1864  discharged 
account  disability. 

Karcher,  John.  21.  February  10,  1864.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V.  Trans 
ferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  V.  Sick  general  hospital;  transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 

Kennicutt,  Ambrose.     33.     August  8,  1862.     Kingston.     Deserted  July  8,  1863. 

Lassell,  Richard.  43.  December  I,  1861.  St.  Clairsville.  Transferred  from  72d 
N.  Y.  V.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  March  15,  1864. 

Martin,  Hugh.  35.  July  30,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Residence 
Kingston,  N.  Y. 

Markle,  Martin.  20.  July  28,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Residence 
Samsonville. 

Maidell,  Joseph.  23.  August  24,  1862.  Dunkirk,  N.  Y.  June  3,  1865.  Trans- 
ferred  from  7 1st  N.  Y.  V. 

McKinley,  Thomas.  24.  August  30,  1862.  New  York.  Transferred  from  72d 
N.  Y.  V.  Sick  general  hospital.  M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Masten,  Richard.  44.  August  4,  1862.  Kingston.  February  19,  1863  dis 
charged  on  account  disability. 

Markle,  Cornelius  D.  44.  July  29,  1862.  Samsonville.  Honorably  discharged 
August,  1863. 

Mayer,  Edward.     24.     July  4,  1861.     New  York.     Transferred  from  72d  N.   Y. 

V.     Discharged  at  expiration  of  service  July  4,  1864. 
Muller,  Frederick.     28.     March  28,   1865.     New  York.     Recruit;  transferred  to- 

73d  N.  Y.  V. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.   Y.  S.    VOLS.  2$\ 

\J 

COMPANY  B-Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

McBride,  Lawrence.  31.  September  5,  1864.  Hartland,  N.  Y.  Substitute 
Sick  general  hospital.  M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Motz,  David.    27.    December  24,  1863.    Brandy  Station,  Virginia.    V.  V     Trans 

ferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  Y.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 
Markle,  Peter  B.      19.     January    14,  1864.     Kingston.     Recruit.     Transferred   to 

73d  N.  Y.  V. 

Miller,  Solomon  S.     37.     July  28,  1862.     Samsonville.     Died  January  5,  1863. 
Myers,  Jacob.     28.     August  12,  1862.     Kingston.     Died  April  16,  1863. 

Middagh,  George  M.  31.  August  7,  1862.  Kingston.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C 
September  I,  1863. 

North,  David.  23.  July  28,  1862.  Kingston.  Deserted  September  n,  1862 
Deserted  July  2,  1863.  Sentenced  by  G.  C.  M.  to  hard  labor.  Delivered  to 
Provost  Marshal. 

•Osborn,  William.  28.  December  i,  1861.  New  York.  Transferred  from  72d 
N.  Y.  V.  Discharged  at  expiration  of  term  of  service. 

Peck,  John.  35.  August  9,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  on  account  disability 
April,  1864. 

Rowe,  Abram  T.     23.     August  6,  1862.     Kingston.     Taken    prisoner  at  James 

City  October  10,  1863.     At  Vicksburg  discharged  G.  O.  77.     Died  1879. 
Rappleyea,  Isaac.     24.     July  30,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 
Ray,  Daniel  A.      18.     September  3,  1864.     Pembroke.    June  3,  1865.    Substitute. 
Rider,  Albert  E.      17.     July  28,  1862.     Kingston.     Transferred  to  Company  I  by 

promotion  November,  1863.     Wounded  at  Gettysburg. 
Rudd,  Harley  A.      18.     September  2,   1864.     Lockport.     Transferred  from   72d 

N.  Y.  V.     Discharged  on  account  disability  May  16.  1865. 
Rafferty,    Peter.     22.     December   25,    1863.     Brandy    Station.    Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred  from  720!  N.  Y.  V.     Wounded  Septe'mber  18,  1864.     Transferred 

to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 

Rowe,  William  S.  22.  August  9,  1862.  Kingston.  Taken  prisoner  October 
27,  1863.  Died  June  13,  1864  at  Andersonville. 

Roosa,  John  J.  20.  August  9,  1862.  Kingston.  Killed  November  6,  1864  be 
fore  Petersburg!!. 

Roff,  Joseph .  27.  December  25,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V.  Trans 
ferred  from  7 1st  N.  Y.  V.  July  7,  1864.  'First  Sergeant  until  July  7,  1864. 
Died  February  20,  1865  of  wounds  received  June  12,  1864. 

Roff,  John.  37.  December  31,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V.  Trans 
ferred  from  7ist  N.  Y.  V.  Taken  prisoner  June  2,  1864. 

Rowe.  John  H.  18.  August  9,  1862.  Kingston.  Missing  in  action  October  27, 
1864. 

Smith,  William  II.  19.  July  26,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Wounded 
May  24,  1864.  In  general  hospital  at  Alexandria,  Va. 

Snyder,  Abram.  43.  July  25,  1862.  Kingston.  Sick  in  general  hospital.  M. 
O.  G.  O.  77. 

Storms,  Isaac.  23.  August  2,  1862.  Kingston.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  March, 
1864. 

Shurter,  John  P.  19.  August  8,  1862.  Kingston.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
March  19,  1865. 

Smith,  Leonard  S.  22.  August  7,  1862.  Kingston.  Killed  at  Chancellorsville 
May  3,  1863. 


204  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  B-Continued. 

PRIVATES  —Continued. 

Stroyer,  John.  25.  August  27,  1862.  Dunkirk.  Transferred  from  721!  N.  V.  V. 
October  30,  1864.  Died  in  general  hospital  December  14,  1864. 

Sutton,  James  O.     August  15,  1862.     Kingston.     Died  March  5,    1863. 

Scofield,  Moses.  20.  February  9,  1864.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V.  Trans 
ferred  from  7 ist  N.  Y.  V.  July  7,  1864  as  a  deserter.  Transferred  to  73d  N. 

Thompson,  John.  44.  August  9,  1862.  Samsonville.  June  3,  1865.  Adju 
tant's  Clerk.  Died  March  28,  1891. 

Thomson,  William  H.  23.  December  26,  1863.  Jamestown.  Recruit-  trans 
ferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 

Thomson,  John  G.     21.     December  26,  1863.     Ellytown.    Recruit;  transferred  to 

73d  N.  Y.  V. 
Timmins,   John.     29.     December   25,  1863.     Brandy    Station,  Virginia.      V.  V. 

Transferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  N.     Transferred  to  73^!  N.  Y.  V. 
Terwilliger,  Tellarun  L.  G.     36.     July  28,   1862.     Samsonville.     Died  May  26, 

1864  from  wounds  received  May  5,  1864. 
Traver,   John.     23.     July    23,    1862.     Kingston.     Wounded   at   Chancellorsville 

June  28,  1863.     No  discharge. 

Van  Bramer,  Wm.  II.  22.  July  23,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Resi 
dence  West  Hurley. 

Van  Nostrand,  Edwin  H.  19.  July  25,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Resi 
dence  Kingston. 

Van  Kleck,  David.  23.  August  1 1,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Residence 
Samsonville. 

Van  Hoesen,  Daniel.  45.  January  27,  1864.  Poughkeepsie.  Recruit.  Sick  at 
general  hospital.  M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Van  Denmark.  Josiah.  18.  August  II,  1862.  Kingston.  Killed  at  Gettysburg 
July  2,  1863. 

Vanderburgh,  Peter.     24.     August  14,  1862.     Kingston.     Died  January  12,  1863. 
Wineright,  John.     24.     August  I,  1862.     Kingston.     Detailed  with   Battery  K, 

4th  Artillery.     Sick  in  general  hospital.     M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 
Wright,  George.     44.     July  28,  1862.     Kingston.     Sick  in  general  hospital.     M. 

O.  G.  O.  77. 

Wolf,  Frederick.  40.  September  8,  1862.  New  York.  June  3,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  72d  N.  Y.  V.  June  26,  1864. 

Wardwell,  William  \\.  20.  December  31,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V. 
V.  Transferred  from  7 1st  N.  Y.  V.  July  7,  1864.  Missing  in  action  October 
27,  1864. 

Willett,  Percy.  2$.  February  2,1864.  New  York.  Recruit;  transferred  from 
7 ist  N.  Y.  V.  July  7,  1864.  Taken  prisoner  March  31,  1865. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  255 


COMPANY  C. 

Was  recruited  at  High  Falls  by  Captain  J.  L.  Snyder  and  Lieuten 
ant  John  B.  Krom.      It  was  mustered  into  United  States  service  August 
22,  1862,  with  three  commissioned  officers  and  eighty-nine  enlisted 
men.      It  was  the  Color  Company  of  the  Regiment. 
Its  losses  from  the  original  members  were  : 

Killed  in  action  or  died  of  wounds  received  in  action       5 

Died  prisoners  of  war 5 

Died  of  disease 5 


Total  deaths  in  service x  ~ 

Discharged  for  physical  disability  : 

Officers 2 


Enlisted  men _     () 


Total 

In  the  summer  of  1864,  it  received  by  transfer  from 
the  yist  and  ;2d  regimeiv.s  42  men  and  by  enlistment  at 
various  times  18  recruits 
Of  the  additional  members  of  the  Company  : 

Trure  were  killed  in  action  and  died  of  wounds. . .       4 

Died  prisoners  of  war. i 

Died  of  disease i 

Discharged  by  expiration  of  enlistment,  etc 8 

Transferred  to  V.  R.  Corps 2 

Transferred  to  73d  regiment  to  serve  out  enlistment     29 
Mustered  out  with  regiment 15 


i  : 


Discharged  for  promotion,  enlisted  men 3 

Transferred  for  promotion,  officers i 

Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. ,  enlisted  men 12 

Deserted,  enlisted  men 7 

Mustered  out  with  regiment  and  by  General  Orders.  41          64 


Total..  60 


Total  enrollment 152 


256  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  C-Continued. 

CAPTAINS. 

Snyder,  Jacob  L.  32.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  February  8,  1865.  Dis 
charged  on  account  of  wounds  received  in  action  October  2,  1864.  Residence, 
High  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Clark,  Richard  W.  18.  December  2,  1861.  New  York  city.  June  3,  1865. 
Transferred  from  72d  regiment.  Promoted  to  2nd  Lieutenant  September  17, 
1864;  to  1st  Lieutenant  January  27,  1865  ;  to  Captain  February  8,1865. 
Transferred  to  73d  regiment.  Mustered  out  with  regiment  June  29,  1865. 
Residence,  Toledo,  O. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Krom,  John  B.  25.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  January  9,  1864.  Promoted 
to  Captain  Co.  I. 

Norton,  William  A.  25.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  August  28,  1863.  Pro 
moted  from  2nd  Lieutenant  April  13,  1863.  Discharged  tor  physical  disabili 
ty  August  28,  1863.  Residence,  New  York  city. 

Van  Wagenen,  Louis  B.  22.  August  n,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Pro 
moted  from  Corporal  to  Sergeant  April  13,  1863  ;  to  2nd  Lieutenant  January 
16,  1865  ;  to  1st  Lieutenant  February  8,  1865.  Residence,  Rondout,  N.  Y. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANT. 

Wilkinson,  Joseph.  35.  August  6,  1862.  High  Falls.  August  10,  1864.  Pro 
moted  from  Sergeant  April  13,1863.  Wounded  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863. 
Wounded  May  5,  1864. 

SERGEANTS. 

Snyder,  Andrew.  24.  August  u,  1862.  Marbletown.  June  3,  1865.  Pro 
moted  from  Corporal  October  15,  1862.  Wounded  severely  at  Gettysburg 
July  2,  1863.  Promoted  to  Lieutenant.  Not  mustered.  Died  at  Stone 
Ridge  December  29,  1879. 

De  Puy,  Eli.     32.     August  7,  1862.     High  Falls.      June  3,  1865.      Postmaster  at 

Rosendale,  N.  Y. 
Wager,  Henry  G.     26.     July  24,  1862.     High  Falls.     June  3,   1865.     Promoted 

from  Corporal  May  6,  1864.      Wounded    at   Gettysburg    and  at   Wilderness. 

Residence,  High  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Hill,  William  H.     20.     August,    n,    1862.     High    Falls.     June   3,    1865.     Pro 
moted  from  Corporal  January  20,  1865.     Dead. 
Brown,    Henry    Lee    F.     23.     December   24,    1863.     Brandy   Station,    Virginia. 

January  20,  1865.     Discharged  to  accept  promotion.     Transferred  from  72nd 

regiment. 
Sullivan,  Daniel.     23.     August  18,  1862.     High  Falls.     July  17,  1864.     Severely 

wounded  at  Gettysburg.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.     Residence,  Lefevre  Falls, 

N.  Y. 

Krom,  James.     20.     August    13,  1862.     High    Falls.     May  5,  1864.     Killed  in 

action  at  the  Wilderness. 
Masterson,  Michael.     22.     February  14,  1864.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     March 

1 6,  1865.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
San  ford,  Giles  H.     24.     December  24,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June  3, 

1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  730!. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH   N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  C-Continued. 

CORPORALS. 

Devoejohn.     24.     August  4,  1862.     High  Falls.     November  10,  1862.     Died  at 

Dunbarton  U.  S.  hospital,  Georgetown. 
Stalls,  Egbert.     26.     August  7,  1862.     High  Falls.     June  3,  1865.     Wounded  at 

Chancellorsville  May  3,  1863.     Residence,  High  Falls,  N.  Y. 
Auchmoody,  Silas  S.     18.     August   15,  1862.     Rosendale.     May  2,  1865.     Pro- 

moted  to  Corporal  October  15,  1862.     Discharged  from  hospital.'    Residence 

Omaha,  Nebraska. 

Davis,  Simon  J.  19.  July  28,  1862.  Rochester.  Wounded  at  Gettysburg  July 
2,  1862.  Absent  in  hospital.  Residence,  Greenwich,  Conn. 

Tcrwilliger,  Nelson.  24.  August  6,  1862.  Marbletown.  Promoted  November 
6,  1862.  Captured  October  10,  1863.  Absent,  paroled  prisoner.  Residence 
Ellenville,  N.  Y. 

Brodhead,  John.     18.     August  4,  1862.     High  Falls.     July  8,  1865.     Promoted 

February   4,    1865.     Severely   wounded   at   Gettysburg  July  2,  1863    and  at 

Boydton  Plank  Road  March  31,  1865.     Residence,  Kingston,  N.  Y. 
Ayers,  Alfred  N.     29.     December  24,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June  i, 

1865.     V.  V.     Transferred    from  72nd  June  22,  1864.     Transferred  to  73d! 

Residence,  Jamestown,  N.  Y. 
Stoddard^Hiram  D.     25.     December  24,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.    June 

I,  1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Young,  James.     21.     December  24,  1863.     Brandy  Station,   Virginia.     June    I, 

1865.     V.  V.     Transferred   from    72nd.     Transferred    to   73d.     Residence, 

Jamestown,  N.  Y. 

Thompson,  Isaac  L.  18.  August  14,  1862.  High  Falls.  July  18,  1863. 
Wounded  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Died  at  McKimm  hospital,  Baltimore. 


MUSICIANS. 

Davis,  Charles  A.     18.     July  25,  1862.     Olive.    June  3,  1865. 
Haines,  Storm.     24.     August    14,    1862.     Rochester.      June   3,    1865.     Died  at 
Rosendale. 

PRIVATES. 

Addis,  Daniel.     25.     August  13,  1862.     Wawarsing.     Captured  October  10,  1863. 

Absent,  paroled  prisoner. 
Alvord,  Leonard.     18.     September  12,  1864.     Genesee  Falls.    February  12,  1865. 

Recruit.     Wounded  October  27,  1864.     Died  at  Annapolis  general  hospital. 
Avery,  John  S.     33.     August  4,   1862.     Marbletown.     May  9,  1864.     Deserted. 
Bodley    Hiram.     20.     August    11,    1862.     Marbletown.      Captured  October   10, 

1863.  Died  a  prisoner  of  war  at  Richmond. 

Baker,  George  B.  19.  August  8,  1862.  Marbletown.  July  I,  1863.  Died  o 
typhoid  fever  at  Roosevelt  hospital. 

Brink,  Edward  O.  21.  December  30,  1863.  Kingston.  June  17,  1864.  Re 
cruit.  Died  of  wounds  received  in  action. 

Bunton,  Jacob  E.     33.     August  12,  1862.     Rochester.     Missing  in  action  May  5, 

1864.  Never  heard  from. 

Burns,  Rufus  A.     24.    July  23,  1861.     Jamestown.     July  23,  1864.     Transferred 

from  72nd. 
Burns,  Charles.     26.     December  26,    1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     May  3, 

1865.  V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd. 

17 


258  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

COMPANY  C-Continued. 

PR  I V  ATES —  Continued. 

Benjamin,  John  A.  26.  August  12,  1862.  Marbletown.  February  3,  1865. 
Wounded.  Discharged  from  Satterlee  hospital. 

Barber,  Edward  B.  27.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  June 
I,  1865.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd  June  22,  1864.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Binnson,  James.  22.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  June  I, 
1865.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Carney,  David.  18.  January  I,  1864.  Kingston.  August  24,  1864.  Died  at 
Harwood  general  hospital  from  wounds. 

Carney,  Richard  S.  30.  August  6,  1862.  Marbletown.  October  I,  1863. 
Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  Residence,  High  Falls. 

Carney,  William.  40.  February  13,  1864.  Kingston.  November  10,  1864. 
Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Carney,  Sylvester.  18.  February  22,  1864.  Kingston.  June  I,  1865.  Wound 
ed  ;  absent  in  hospital.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Charles,  John.  18.  August  14,  1862.  High  Falls.  June  3,  1865.  Residence, 
Kingston. 

Charles,  George  W.  26.  August  6,  1862.  High  Falls.  October  2,  1864. 
Wounded  at  Gettysburg.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  Died  at  High  Falls  Sep 
tember,  1882. 

Carman,  Henry  C.  18.  August  13,  1862.  High  Falls.  Absent  in  hospital. 
Died  April  8,  1887. 

Chase,  William  H.  21.  August  7,  1862.  Marbletown.  Absent  in  hospital. 
Residence,  Kysenke,  N.  Y. 

Crane,  William.     18.     July  31,  1862.     Jamestown.     June  3,  1865. 

Constable,  Cornelius  B.  22.  August  1 1,  1862.  Marbletown.  December  i8r 
1863.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  Wounded. 

Countryman,  Jacob.  30.  August  II,  1862.  High  Falls.  October  I o,  1863. 
Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  Wounded  at  Gettysburg. 

Christiana,  Jacob.  20.  January  27,  1864.  Kingston.  June  I,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  to  73d.  Residence,  Kripplebush,  N.  Y. 

Dingee,  Enoch.  23.  August  13,  1862.  Gardiner.  July  10,  1863.  Residence^ 
Gardiner,  N.  Y. 

Davenport,  John  J.  22.  August  7,  1862.  Marbletown.  September  22,  1863. 
Residence,  Kyserike,  N.  Y. 

Davis,  George  C.  19.  August  21,  1862.  Marbletown.  October  10,  1863. 
Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  Wounded  at  Gettysburg. 

Davis,  Simon.  27.  August  18,  1862.  Gardiner.  November  25,  1862.  De 
serted. 

Durham,  Abram  E.  24.  August  4,  1862.  High  Falls.  May  23,  1864.  Cap 
tured  October  10,  1863.  Died  at  Andersonville. 

Duffy,  Owen.  20.  December  25,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  June  ir 
1865.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Devoe,  Clinton  C. 

Enderly,  Isaac  A.  23.  August  11,  1862.  Gardiner.  February  I,  1863.  Died 
of  disease  at  Falmouth,  Va. 

Embree,  Matthias.  18.  August  11,  1862.  Marbletown.  June  6,  1865.  Dis 
charged  for  physical  disability. 

Eckholm,  Adolph.  18.  January  28,  1864.  Carroll.  June  I,  1865.  Transferred 
from  72nd.  Transferred  to  73d. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  25$ 

COMPANY  C-Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Flood,  Terrence.     19.     May  i,  1861.     New  York.     August  3,  1864. 
Cast,  Cornelius.       19.      February  22,  1864.      Kingston.     June  i,  186?.     Trans 
ferred  to  73d. 

Garrison,  Peter.     41.     August  6,  1862.     Marbletown.     January  7,  1863.     Died  of 

Garrison,  Isaac  L.     23.     July  28,  1862.     Marbletown.     July  i,  1863.     Discharged 

for  physical  disability.     Residence,  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. 
Garrison,  George  W.     18.    March  22,  1865.     Kingston.    June  I,  1865.     Absent 

sick.     Transferred  to  73d. 

Gunsalus,  Jacob  R.  23.  August  8,  1862.  Rochester.  Detailed  to  N.  Y.  Draft 
Rendezvous  July,  1863.  Residence,  Tuthill,  N.  Y. 

Hill,  Joseph  D.  C.  23.  July  25,  1862.  Marbletown.  June  3,  1865.  Residence 
Wallkill,  N.  Y. 

Harrigan.  Thomas.  22.  July  21,  1861.  Jamestown.  July  23,  1864.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd. 

Hendricks,  William  H.  20.  August  12,  1862.  Marbletown.  July  2,  186^. 
Died  of  wounds. 

Hornbeck,  Jacob.     21.    January  13,  1864.     Albany.    June  i,  1865.     Transferred 

from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Hard  ford,  Matthew.     24.     December  25,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June 

I,  1865.     Transferred  from  72nd  July  3,  1^864.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Moos,  Cyrus  S.     18.     March  22,  1865.     Kingston.     June  I,  1865.     Transferred 

to  73d. 

Kelder,  Felter.     38.     August  8,   1862.     Rochester.     June  3,   1865.     Residence, 
Accord,  N.  Y. 

Krom,  Lorenzo.  19.  August  8,  1862.  Marlbletown.  June  3,  1865.  Kripple- 
bush,  N.  Y. 

Krom,  William  H.  23.  August  II,  1862.  Marbletown.  September  21,  1863. 
Discharged  for  physical  disability.  Died  May  26,  1869. 

Krom,  James.  34.  July  24,  1862.  Marbletown.  July  I,  1863.  Wounded  at 
Chancellorsville.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Krom,  Isaac  B.  23.  July  24,  1862.  Marbletown.  September  26,  1863.  Trans 
ferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Kellott,  John.  26.  August  19,  1862.  New  York.  May  24,  1865.  Transferred 
from  72nd. 

Lil lie,  Hasbrouck.  17.  August  21,  1862.  Kingston.  September  22,  1862. 
Discharged  on  account  of  appointment  to  the  U.  S.  Naval  Academy. 

Latimore,  Peter.  19.  July  24,  1862.  Marbletown.  October  10,  1863.  Dis 
charged  for  physical  disability. 

Mclntyre,  Robert.  42.  August  12,  1862.  Jamestown.  July  22,  1864.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd.  Died  from  wounds  received  May  2,  1864. 

Meeham,  Thomas.  43.  August  i,  1862.  Marbletown.  July  7,  1864.  Captured 
October  10,  1863.  Died  at  Andersonville. 

Munson,  Erastus  H.     18.     August  15,  1862.     Rochester.     Deserted  July  i,  1863. 

Markle,  Louis  S.  24.  August  6,  1862.  Marbletown.  June  3,  1865.  Pro 
moted  to  Sergeant-Major  September  i,  1864. 

McGinness,  Charles.  20.  August  14,  1862.  Marbletown.  June  3,  1865.  Res 
idence,  High  Falls,  N.  Y. 


26O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  C-Continued. 

PRIVATES— Continued. 

McGinness,  James  \V.      24.      August    n,   1862.      Marbletown.      June   3,   1865. 

Residence,  High  Falls,  N.  Y. 

McKenna,  John.      26.      August  31,  1862.      New  York.     June  3,  1865.      Trans 
ferred  from  72nd. 

McKenny,  Benjamin  D.     44.     August  6,  1862.     Marbletown.     Absent,  sick. 
Moore,  Nathaniel  C.       18.      September   3,   1864.      New   York.      June   3,   1865. 

Substitute  prior  to  draft. 
Monroe,  Dorr.     18.     August  14,  1862.     Marbletown.     May  15,  1865.     Residence, 

High  Falls,  N.  Y. 
Marlor,  James  O.     21.     December  24,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June  i, 

1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Munson,  John  E.     18.     December  3,  1863.     Kingston.     June  7,   1865.     Recruit. 

Transferred  to  73d. 
McCauley,  Patrick.     25.     December  25,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.      June 

i,  1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  7 1st.     Absent,  wounded.     Transferred  to 

73d- 
Mullen,  John.      20.      December  25.  1863.      Brandy  Station,  Virginia.      June  i, 

1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  7ist.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Mee,  James.      28.      December  25,  1863.      Brandy   Station,  Virginia.      June  i, 

1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  7ist.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Mathews,  John.     19.     December  25,   1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June  I, 

1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  7 1 st.     Transferred  to  73d. 

Newkirk,  John.       36.      August  15,  1862.      Marbletown.      June  3,  1865.      Resi 
dence,  Binnewater,  N.  Y. 
Osterhoudt,   John  H.      22.      August  5,  1862.     Marbletown.     Deserted  February 

6,  1863. 
Osterhoudt,  Simon  P.     21.     August  9,  1862.     Marbletown.     November  6,  1864. 

Killed  in  action  before  Petersburg. 
Osterhoudt,  Benjamin  S.      31.      August  3,   1862.      Marbletown.      July  i,   1864. 

Died  a  prisoner  of  war  at  Andersonville. 
Osterhoudt,  Abram.     30.     August  13,  1862.     Marbletown.     September  10,  1863. 

Discharged  for  physical  disability.     Died  September  25,  1863. 
O'Connell,  Thomas.     18.     August  28,  1862.    Jamestown.     July  18,  1864.     Died 

a  prisoner  of  war  at  Andersonville. 
O'Donnell,  Bernard.     19.     December  31,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.    June 

I,  1862.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  7ist.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Otts,  Philip.     25.     December  24,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June  1,1865. 

V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Oaks,  David.     33.     December  25, 1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.    June  I,  1865. 

V.  V.     Transferred  from  7ist.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Platner,   DeWitt   N.      18.      December   21,    1863.      Ellington.      June    I,    1865. 

Wounded  at  Cold  Harbor.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Purhamus,  Cyrus  D.  B.     24.     August  9,  1862.     New  Paltz.     Severely  wounded 

at  Wilderness  May  5,  1864.     Residence,  Rifton  Glen,  N.  Y\ 

Pierce,  George  H.       19.      August  4,  1862.      Marbletown.     June  3,  1865.     Resi 
dence,  High  Falls,  N.  Y. 
Pickard,  James  II.     18.    July  9,  1862.     Dunkirk.     June  3,  1865.     Transferred 

from  72nd. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  26  I 

COMPANY  C-Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Quick,  Sylvanus  V.  22.  August  13,  1862.  Marbletown.  Tune  3,  1865.  Resi 
dence,  High  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Quick,  Henry.  27.  August  n,  1862.  Marbletown.  Deserted  November  23, 
1862. 

Quinn,  Michael.     28.     August  8,  1862.     Rosendale.     Deserted  October  10,  1863. 

Rosekrans,  Cyrus.  33.  August  13,  1862.  Rochester.  February  10,  1864. 
Died  a  prisoner  of  war  at  Richmond. 

Robinson,  Calvin  H.  19.  August  4,  1862.  Marbletown.  Absent,  sick.  Died 
August  13,  1865. 

Richardson,  Moses.  18.  September  3,  1864.  Newfane.  June  3,  1865.  Substi 
tute  prior  to  draft. 

Rockwell,  George.  27.  August  20,  1862.  Marbletown.  July  20,  1863.  Dis 
charged  for  physical  disability. 

Roosa,  Isaiah.  25.  August  7,  1862.  Marbletown.  June  20,  1864.  Discharged 
for  physical  disability. 

Rhinehart,  Charles  W.  25.  August  13,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Res 
idence,  Rifton  Glen,  N.  Y. 

Swift,  Gordon  B.  21.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  June  I, 
1865.  Transferred  from  72nd.  Wounded  May  10,  1863.  Transferred  to 
73^- 

Simmons,  Lewis.  34.  December  24,  1862.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  June  I, 
1865.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Seabolt,  John.  18.  August  27,  1864.  Wadsworth.  June  I,  1865.  Substitute 
prior  to  draft.  Transferred  to  73^. 

Southwick,  Levi.  26.  August  12,  1862.  Jamestown.  June  3,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd. 

Southwick,  David.  18.  August  12,  1862.  Jamestown.  June  3,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  72110!. 

Sixberry,  Joseph.  19.  August  25,  1864.  Varrick.  Substitute  prior  to  draft. 
Absent,  sick. 

Schoonmaker,  Abram.  21.  August  7,  1862.  Marbletown.  June  3,  1865. 
Residence,  Rosendale,  N.  Y. 

Strong,  Gilbert.  34.  August  22,  1862.  Dunkirk.  May  20,  1865.  Transferred 
from  72nd. 

Stokes,  James  M.     43.     August  7,  1862.     Marbletown.     June  3,  1865. 

Stokes,  Aaron  D.  26.  August  22,  1862.  Rochester.  June  3,  1865.  Wounded 
at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Fly  Mountain,  N.  Y. 

Stokes,  Abram.  20.  August  19,  1862.  Marbletown.  March  3,  1865.  Died  of 
disease  at  United  States  hospital. 

Stokes,  Matthew.  21.  August  12,  1862.  Marbletown.  December  21,  1863. 
Died  of  disease  at  camp  near  Falmouth. 

Smith,  Daniel  D.  22.  August  7,  1862.  Marbletown.  June  3,  1865.  Wounded 
at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Residence,  Kripple  Bush,  N.  Y. 

Smith,  John  W.  24.  August  8,  1862.  Marbletown.  March  1 8,  1865.  Died 
March  27,  1865. 

Smith,  William.  39.  August  n,  1862.  Marbletown.  December  I,  i86j. 
Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Tindall,  Benjamin  O.  18.  August  25,  1864.  Wadsworth.  June  3,  1865.  Sub- 
stitute  prior  to  draft. 


262  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    I'OLS. 

COMPANY  C-Continued. 

PRIVATES  —Continued. 

Tindall,  Francis.  44.  December  23,  1863.  Rush.  June  23,  1864.  Died  at 
Emory  hospital,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Thompson,  Rufus.  26.  August  3,  1862.  Marbletovvn.  July  2,  1863.  Killed 
in  action  at  Gettysburg. 

Tonnan,  John.  44.  December  31,  1863.  Chatauqua.  October  27,  1864. 
Transferred  from  72nd.  Discharged  tor  disability. 

Van  Wagonen,  James  M.  23.  August  7,  1862.  Marbletown.  April  4,  1865. 
Wounded  May  29,  1864.  Residence,  Highland,  N.  Y. 

Van  Wagonen,  John  B.  34.  August  7,  1862.  Marbletown.  July  I,  1863. 
Wounded  at  Chancellorsville.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps.  Resi 
dence,  Binnevvater,  N.  Y. 

Van  Wagonen,  Jacob  A.  25.  August  7,  1862.  Marbletown.  Sick  in  general 
hospital,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Van  Dem  ark,  John  W.  30.  August  1 1,  1862.  Marbletown.  Wounded  at  Get 
tysburg  July  2,  1863.  Residence,  High  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Van  Demark,  Andries  E.  25.  August  18,  1862.  Marbletown.  November  13, 
1863.  Wounded  at  Gettysburg.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Van  Leuven,  John  D.  23.  August  n,  1862.  Gardiner.  June  3,  1865.  Resi 
dence,  Gardiner,  N.  Y. 

Veasy,  Carlos.  21.  October  16,  1861.  Elmira.  October  16,  1864.  Transferred 
from  72nd. 

Wymon,  Albert  P.  33.  August  26,  1862.  Sheridan.  May  10,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd.  Wounded.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

Ward,  Bernard.  35.  August  9,  1862.  New  York.  June  3,  1865.  Transferred 
from  72nd. 

Watson,  George.  29.  August  25,  1862.  New  York.  June  3,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd. 

Wells,  David  L.  18.  August  12,  1862.  Rochester.  Paroled  prisoner,  captured 
October  10,  1863.  Residence,  High  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Waite.  Loreys.  28.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  June  I, 
1865.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Young,  Robert.  17.  July  30,  1862.  Jamestown.  Transferred  from  72nd. 
Paroled  prisoner. 

Yeaple,  Jacob.  44.  August  3,  1862.  Marbletown.  Died  at  Richmond,  Vir 
ginia,  a  prisoner. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  263 


COMPANY  D. 

Company  D  was  recruited  by  Captain"  Lansing  Hollister  and  First 
Lieutenant  Minor  H.  Greene  at  Coxsackie,  and  Second  Lieutenant 
Emory  S.  Turner  at  Ashland  and  Prattsville,  Greene  Co.  It  was 
mustered  into  the  United  States  service  with  the  regiment,  with  the 
above  named  officers  and  eighty-six  enlisted  men. 

Its  losses  from  the  original  members  were  : 

Killed  in  action,  officers i 

Killed  in  action,  men 7 

Died  prisoners  of  war 6 

Died  by  accident  and  disease 3 


Total  deaths  in  service 17 

There  were  discharged  for  physical  disability  : 

Officers 2 

Enlisted  men. .  8 


10 

Discharged  for  promotion,  enlisted  men i 

Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps 1 1 

Deserters 3 

Mustered  out  with  regiment  and  by  general  orders.     47         61 


89 

It  received  by  transfer  from  other  companies,  4 
•officers,  and  by  transfer  from  the  72nd  Regiment,  4  en 
listed  men  ;  and  also  received  39  recruits. 

Of  the  additions  to  the  Company  ; 

Killed  in  action,  officers i 

Killed  in  action,  men 2 

Discharged  and  transferred  to  73rd  Regiment 23 

Mustered  out  with  regiment  and  by  general  orders.  21         47 


Total  enrollment 136 


2  64  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  D-Continued. 

CAPTAINS. 

Hollister,  Lansing.  25.  August  22,  1862.  Coxsackie.  July  2,  1863.  Killed  in 
action  at  Gettysburg. 

Chambers,  James  W.  Mustered  out  of  service  as  Captain  with  yist  Regiment. 
July  30,  1864  commissioned  Captain  in  the  i2Oth  and  joined  regiment  October 
25,  1864.  Killed  in  action  October  27,  1864  at  Boydton  Plank  Road. 

Thomas,  Arthur  W.  30.  December  22,  1864.  Petersburg,  Virginia.  June  3, 
1865.  Promoted  from  1st  Lieutenant  Company  F.  Died  at  Catskill  Novem 
ber  15,  1884. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Greene,  Minor  H.     25.     August  22,  1862.     Coxsackie.     October  15,  1863.     Dis 
charged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability.     Residence,  Coxsackie,  N.  Y. 
Oakley,  Joseph.      December  9,  1864.      Brandy  Station,  Virginia.      October  10, 

1864.  Promoted  from  2nd  Lieutenant  Company  F.     Dismissed  by  order  gen 
eral  court  martial. 

Spoor,  John  I.  21.  August  I,  1862.  Coxsackie.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted 
from  Private  to  Sergeant  July  i,  1863;  to  2nd  Lieutenant  October  12,  1864; 
to  1st  Lieutenant  December  24,  1864.  In  command  of  Company  till  mustered 
out.  Residence,  Philmont,  N.  Y. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANT. 

Turner,  Emory  S.  20.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  January  8,  1864. 
Wounded  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Arm  amputated.  Residence,  Cortez, 
Colorado. 

Deyo,  Silas  W.  18.  August  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted  from 
ist  Sergeant  Company  G  December  24,  1864.  Died  at  Highland  November, 
1889. 

FIRST  SERGEANTS. 

Beattie,  William  H.  H.  20.  August  4,  1862.  Coxsackie.  Discharged  for  disa 
bility. 

Wound- 
city. 

Hale,  Charles  K.  19.  July  23,  1862.  Kingston.  May  6,  1864.  Killed  in  ac 
tion  in  the  Wilderness. 

Hilton,  Robert.  29.  August  9,  1862.  New  Baltimore.  October  27,  1864. 
Promoted  from  Corporal  October  12,  1864.  Killed  at  Boydton  Plank  Road. 

Drake,  Marcus  M.  27.  August  2,  1862.  Sheridan.  January  30,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  Company  H,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.  October  29,  1864.  Promoted  to  1st 
Lieutenant  Company  H.  Residence,  Buffalo. 

Benjamin,  William  H.  21.  August  II,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Pro 
moted  from  Corporal  January  I,  1865.  Wounded  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863. 
Wounded  at  Wilderness  May  5,  1864.  Captured  March  215,  1865.  Residence, 
Ashland,  N.  Y. 

SERGEANTS. 

Wright,  John.  27.  August  I,  1862.  Coxsackie.  March  16,  1864.  Wounded 
at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps.  Resi 
dence,  Troy,  N.  Y. 

Knox,  James  P.      19.      December  24,  1863.      Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June  I, 

1865.  Transferred  from  Company  H,  72nd  October  29,  1864.    V.  V.    Trans 
ferred  to  73d. 


Tompkins,  Charles  W.     21.    August  6,  1862.    Ashland.     June  3,  1865. 
ed  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.     Residence,  New  York  city. 


ONE   HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  265 

COMPANY  D-Continued. 

SERGEANTS — Continued. 

Carey,  William  C.  22.  August  9,  1862.  Coxsackie.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted 
from  private  January  i,  1865.  Residence,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Mead,  Stephen  S.  21.  August  18,  1862.  ,,New  Baltimore.  June  3,  1865.  Pro 
moted  from  private  January  I,  1865.  Residence,  Soldiers'  Home,  Bath. 

Durfee,  William  J.  25.  August  24,  1862.  Sheridan.  Transferred  from  Com 
pany  H,  72nd  October  9,  1864.  Absent  in  hospital.  M.  O.  G.  O.,  No.  77. 

CORPORALS. 

Vandeberg,  William  H.  21.  August  2,  1862.  Coxsackie.  March  1 6,  1864. 
Wounded  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Groat,  Pratt.  21.  August  19,  1862.  Kingston.  March  25,  1865.  Wounded  at 
Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Killed  at  Hatcher's  Run. 

North,  Hadley  S.  18.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  June  3, 
1865.  Transferred  from  Company  H  72nd  October  29,  1864.  V.  V. 

Van  Wie,  John  B.  21.  July  30,  1862.  Coxsackie.  March  16,  1864.  Wound 
ed  at  Gettysburg  June  2,^863.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  Residence,  Cox 
sackie. 

Jaycox,  David.  23.  August  7,  1862.  Coxsackie.  June  3,  1865.  Residence, 
Coxsackie. 

Lake,  Roderick.  21.  August  I,  1862.  Coxsackie.  June  3,  1865.  Residence, 
New  Castle,  Colorado. 

Hiserd,  William  H.  23.  August  4,  1862.  Coxsackie.  Captured  at  James  City 
October  10,  1864.  M.  O.  G.  O.  Residence,  Tully,  N.  Y. 

Wright,  John  F.  32.  August  9,  1862.  New  Baltimore.  Promoted  January  I, 
1865.  Absent,  sick.  Died  October  6,  1886. 

Hallenbeck,  Barnett.  26.  August  6,  1862.  Coxsackie.  June  3,  1865.  Resi 
dence,  Coxsackie. 

Vanderberg,  Jacob.  18.  August  8,  1862.  Coxsackie.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted 
February  I,  1865.  Residence,  New  York  city. 

MUSICIANS. 

Smith,  William  T.     16.     August  19,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 
Alberti,  Gideon  H.      35.      August  n,  1862.      Prattsville.     Absent,  sick  July  2, 
1863.     M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

PRIVATES. 

Akens,  John  W.  44.  August  I,  1862.  Coxsackie.  March  26,  1863.  Dis 
charged  for  disability.  Residence,  Coxsackie. 

Alexander,  Robert.  19.  September  9,  1864.  Humphrey.  June  I,  1865.  Sub. 
stitute  prior  to  draft.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Briggs,  Silas  W.  19.  August  7,  1862.  Athens.  June  3,  1865.  Detailed  in 
Battery  K,  4th  U.  S.  Artillery.  Residence,  Athens. 

Beattie,  Arthur  W.  27.  August  5,  1862.  Coxsackie.  Captured  March  25,  1865. 
M.  O.  G.  O.  77.  Now  dead. 

Bell,  Theodore  F.  18.  August  8,  1862.  Coxsackie.  Wounded  at  Chancellors- 
ville  May  3,  1863.  Captured  October  10,  1863.  M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Bell,  Henry  C.  18.  August  22,  1862.  Coxsackie.  October  15,  1864.  Captured 
October  10,  1863.  Died  at  Andersonville. 


266  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  D-Continued. 

PR  i  v  ATES — Continued. 

Butler,  James.     24.     August  n,  1862.    Prattsville.    March  4,  1863.    Discharged 
for  disability. 

Bcsley,  Jacob.      34.      August    13,  1862.      New   Baltimore.      March    ic.    1864. 

Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
Blight,  Gilbert.     21.     August  22,  1862.     Kingston.     March  16,  1864.     Wounded 

at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
Boy,  Henry.      40.      September  6,  1864.       Niagara.      June   I,  1865.      Substitute 

prior  to  draft.     Captured  March  31,  1865.     Transferred  to  730!. 
Brant,  Adam.     24.     September  9,  1864.     Rochester.      June  I,  1865.       Substitute 

prior  to  draft.     Transferred  to  730. 

Bunto,  Frederick.     18.     September  2,  1864.     Syracuse.     March  25,  1865.     Sub 
stitute.     Killed  at  Hatcher's  Run. 
Bogarclus,  Anthony.     19.     August  I,  1862.     Coxsackie.     June  3,  1865.    Detailed 

in  Battery  K,  4th  U.  S.  Artillery.     Residence,  Newport,  N.  J. 
Bellows,  Reuben.     22.     August  20,  1862.     Coxsackie.     June  3,  1865.    Residence, 

Pittsfield,  Mass. 
Ballard,  John.     33.     August  II,  1862.     Prattsville.     June  3,  1865.     Wounded  at 

Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.     Residence,  Prattsville. 
Baker,  Marion.     18.     September  13,  1864.     Linden.      June  3,  1865.     Substitute 

prior  to  draft. 

Clough,  Abram.     21.     August  1 8,  1862.     Coxsackie.    June  3,  1865.     Residence, 
Coxsackie. 

Collier,  Edwin.      29.      August  II,  1864.      Albany.      Wounded  October  7,  1864. 

Absent  in  hospital.     M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 
Currie,  William.       18.      August  n,  1862.     Ashland.      June  3,  1865.      Wounded 

November,  1864.     Residence,  Coxsackie. 

Currie,  William  H.      21.      August  15,  1862.      Kingston.      June  3,  1865.     Resi 
dence,  Amsterdam,  N.  Y. 
Conroy,  Gilbert  C.       28.      August    12,    1862.       Coxsackie.      January   22,    1864. 

Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.     Residence,  Oak  Hill. 
Carr,  John.      45.       August  6,  1862.       Prattsville.      January  I,  1865.       Wounded 

May  6,  1864.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.     Residence,  Red  Falls. 
Carter,  Frazer.     18.     July  30,  1864.     Lockport.     June  I,  1865.      Substitute  prior 

to  draft.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Calkins,  Stephen  V.      23.      August  7,  1862.      Coxsackie.      September  25,  1864. 

Captured  October  10,  1863.     Died  at  Andersonville. 

Curtis,  Edward.     32.     August  18,  1862.     Coxsackie.     Deserted  August  30,  1862. 
Dougherty,  James.     24.     August  15,  1862.     Ashland.      June  3,  1865.     Wounded 

at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.     Residence,  Shandaken. 
Dibble,  Smith  B.     18.     August  14,  1862.     Coxsackie.     June  3,  1865. 
Dedrick,  Herman  C.      22.      August  12,  1862.      New  Baltimore.      June  3,  1865. 

Wounded  October  27,  1864.     Residence,  Fishkill. 
Deuble,  Charles.      32.      August  8,  1862.      New  Baltimore.      January  22,  1864. 

Wounded  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
Devine,  William.      25.      April   7,    1865.      Albany.      June    I,    1865.      Recruit. 

Transferred  to  730!. 

Dutcher,  Henry.     24.     August  8,  1862.     Prattsville.     December  28,  1863.     Died 
while  at  home  on  furlough. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  26  J 

COMPANY  D-Continued. 

PRIVATES—  Continued. 

Dedrick,  Francis  W,     18.     August  8,  1862.     Coxsackie.      July  2,  1863.     Killed 

at  Gettysburg. 

Every,  John  A.     22.     August  9,  1862.     Prattsville.     Tune  3,  1865. 
Exter,  John.       19.      August  8,  1862.      Coxsackie.      June  3,  1865.      Residence 

South  Bethlehem. 

Toy,  Edward.  33.  August  30,  1864.  Avon.  Substitute  prior  to  draft. 
Wounded  October  27,  1864.  M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Finch,  Henry.  27.  August  1 1,  1862.  Ashland.  December  15,  1862.  Dis 
charged  for  disability. 

Fish,  John  B.  18.  August  8,  1862.  Coxsackie.  Captured  October  10,  1863. 
Died  at  Richmond  March  31,  1864. 

Gould,  Lyman.  18.  September  13,  1864.  Freedom.  Substitute  prior  to  draft. 
Captured  March  25,  1865.  M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Gates,  Henry  C.  18.  September  3,  1864.  Rochester.  June  3,  1865.  Substi 
tute  prior  to  draft. 

Hiserd,  John.  28.  August  9,  1862.  Coxsackie.  June  3,  1865.  Detailed  as 
sharpshooter.  Residence,  West  Coxsackie. 

Hoffman,  Albert  T.  32.  August  6,  1862.  Coxsacksie.  Absent,  sick.  M.  O. 
G.  O.  77.  Residence,  Coxsackie. 

Hoffman,  David  H.  19.  August  4,  1862.  Coxsackie.  June  3,  1865.  Wound 
ed  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Residence,  Coxsackie. 

Hill,  Fenton.  25.  August  I,  1862.  Prattsville.  June  3,  1865.  Wounded 
March  31,  1865. 

Hill,  Clark.  18.  July  27,  1864.  Schenectady.  March  26,  1865.  Recruit. 
Killed  in  action  at  Hatcher's  Run. 

Hill,  Thomas  A.  30.  September  8,  1864.  Alexandria.  February  22,  1865. 
Recruit.  Discharged  for  disability. 

Hull,  William  W.  21.  August  5,  1862.  Ashland.  February  15,  1864.  Trans 
ferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Hattle,  John.  27.  September  2,  1864.  Alexandria.  June  3,  1865.  Substitute 
prior  to  draft. 

Hosford,  William  H.  18.  -  August  7,  1862.  Coxsackie.  May  31,  1864.  Killed 
in  action  at  Cold  Harbor. 

Hann,  Stephen.  22.  August  9,  1862.  Prattsville.  July  2,  1863.  Killed  in 
action  at  Gettysburg. 

Ilartwell,  Dwight.  19.  August  9,  1862.  New  Baltimore.  October  27,  1864. 
Killed  in  action  at  Boydton  Plank  Road. 

Houghtaling,  Martin  A.  18.  August  12,  1862.  Coxsackie.  August  18,  1864. 
Captured  October  IO,  1863.  Died  at  Andersonville. 

House,  Herman.  30.  September  12,  1864.  Porter.  June  I,  1865.  Substitute 
prior  to  dratt.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Henry,  John.  22.  September  9,  1864.  New  Albion.  June  I,  1865.  Substitute 
prior  to  draft.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Jerome,  Jacob.  30.  August  2,  1862.  Coxsackie.  Absent,  sick.  M.  O.  G.  O. 
77- 

King,  Van  Rensselaer.  19.  September  3,  1864.  Yorkshire.  Substitute  prior  to 
draft.  \Vounded  October  27,  1864.  M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Langin,  John.  33.  August  9,  1862.  New  Baltimore.  June  3,  1865.  Died 
February  20,  1873. 


268  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

COMPANY  D-Continued. 

PRIVATES—  Continued. 

Lee,  John  H.  16.  August  20,  1862.  Athens.  June  27,  1865.  Captured  Octo 
ber  10,  1863.  Exchanged  November  19,  1864.  Residence,  New  York  city. 

Miller,  John.  21.  August  20,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Residence 
Troy. 

Miller,  Christian.      42.      September  3,  1864.      Wheatfield.      Substitute  prior  to 

draft.     Wounded.     October  27,  1864;  in  hospital. 
Melville,  William.     38.     August  8,  1864.      Rochester.      Substitute  prior  to  draft. 

Absent  in  hospital,  broke  his  leg  while  on  duty. 

Murphy,  John  M.  August  n,  1862.  Prattsville.  May  24,  1864.  Died  in  gen 
eral  hospital,  Davids  Island,  N.  Y. 

Newman,  Preston.     20.     August  6,  1864.     Pike.     June  I,  1865.     Substitute  prior 

to  draft.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
Parslow,  Gilbert.     18.     August  18,  1862.     Coxsackie.    June  3,  1865.     Wounded 

at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.     Residence,  Prattsville. 
Proper,  John.     29.     September  10,  1864.     Albany.      Captured  March  25,  1865. 

M.  O.  G.  O.  77- 

Proper,  Harrison.  34.  August  9,  1862.  Prattsville.  June  3,  1865.  Residence 
Prattsville. 

Plass,  Moses  A.  18.  September  6,  1864.  Carroll.  Substitute  prior  to  draft 
M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Pettit,  Henry  C.  19.  September  3,  1864.  Linden.  June  3,  1865.  Substitute 
prior  to  draft. 

Pettit,  Charles  E.  18.  September  3,  1864.  Ellington.  June  3,  1865.  Captured 
October  27,  1864.  Exchanged. 

Plucker,  John  C.  18.  August  29,  1864.  Freedom.  June  i,  1865.  Substitute 
prior  to  draft.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Purdy,  Thomas.     20.     August  24,  1864.       Syracuse.       Substitute  prior  to  draft. 

Captured  March  31,  1865.     M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 
Rourque,  David.     19.     September  10,  1864.      Avon.      June  I,  1865.     Substitute 

prior  to  draft.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Rourque,  Michael.      27.      September  16,  1864.      Elmira.      Recruit.      Wounded 

March  31,  1865.     Absent  in  hospital.     M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Rusher,  Gilbert.  18.  August  31,  1864.  Richford.  June  3,  1865.  Substitute 
prior  to  draft. 

Rogers,  John.  22.  August  9,  1862.  Prattsville.  Deserted  while  on  furlough 
from  hospital. 

Reed,  Frederick.  41.  September  I,  1864.  Rome.  June  I,  1865.  Substitute 
prior  to  draft.  Absent,  sick.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Shaw,  William.     22.     August  4,  1862.     Coxsackie.    June  3,  1865. 

Smith,  Abram.  24.  August  9,  1862.  New  Baltimore.  June  3,  1865.  Wound 
ed  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Captured  December  8,  1864.  Residence 
Athens. 

Schermerhorn,  Abram  P.  22.  August  11,  1862.  Prattsville.  Tune  3,  1865. 
Wounded  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863. 

Simpkins,  Solomon  M.      August  13,  1862.     Coxsackie.     Wounded  May  5,  1864 

In  hospital.     M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Sutton,  William  R.     21.     August  9,  1862.     Prattsville.     M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 
Sodar,  Gustave.      32.      August  31,   1864.      Utica.      Captured  March   2<;,  i86<; 

Substitute  prior  to  draft.     M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  269 

COMPANY  D-Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Shoudy,  Lyman.      18.      September  2,  1864.     Syracuse.    Substitute  prior  to  draft. 

M.  O.  G.  O.  77- 
Spaunburg,  George  C.      23.      August    18,  1862.      Coxsackie.      March  3,  1863. 

Discharged  for  disability.     Residence,  Coxsackie. 
Sitzer,  Peter.     42.     August  19,  1862.     Kingston.     March  24,  1863.     Discharged 

for  disability. 

Smith,  Joseph  P.  27.  August  9,  1862.  New  Baltimore.  February  K  i86d 
Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Snyder,  Joseph.  26.  September  I,  1864.  Avon.  June  I,  1865.  Substitute 
prior  to  draft.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Smith,  Henry.  23.  September  30,  1864.  Sodas.  June  I,  1865.  Substitute 
prior  to  draft.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Smith,  John  C.  37.  August  II,  1862.  Ashland.  Sent  to  hospital  November 
1 8,  1862.  Body  found  in  Potomac  river,  near  Alexandria  April  5,  1863. 

Sickler,  Alonzo.  21.  August  6,  1862.  Coxsackie.  July  12,  1864.  Captured 
October  10,  1863.  Died  at  Andersonville. 

Tucker,  Lewis.  25.  August  5,  1862.  Coxsackie.  July  10,  1864.  Captured  at 
James  City  October  10,  1864.  Died  at  Andersonville. 

Thompson,  Jeremiah  S.  19.  August  13,  1862.  Rondout.  Captured  October 
10,  1863.  M.  O.  G.  O.  77.  Residence,  New  York  city. 

Vanderberg,  Robert.  25.  August  11,  1862.  Coxsackie.  June  3,  1865.  Resi 
dence,  Coxsackie. 

Van  Schaack,  Derrick.  27.  August  4,  1862.  Coxsackie.  June  3,  1865.  Cap 
tured  May  6,  1864.  Residence,  Coxsackie. 

Van  Schaack,  Peter  G.  28.  August  6,  1862.  Coxsackie.  December  9,  1863. 
Wounded  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of 
disability.  Residence,  Cobbleskill,  N.  Y. 

Van  Loan,  Dennis.     23.     August  16,  1862.     Kingston.     Deserted  June  24,  1863. 

Wilkinson,  Clarence.  18.  September  3,  1864.  Troopsburg.  February  22, 
1865.  Recruit.  Discharged  for  disability. 

Wagner,  Frederick.  33.  August  2,  1862.  Coxsackie.  February  I,  1865. 
Wounded  July  25,  1864.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  Residence,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Wilson,  Thomas.  38.  September  8,  1864.  Alexandria.  Substitute  prior  to 
draft.  Captured  March  31,  1865.  M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Winegar,  Joseph.  36.  August  31,  1864.  New  Hartford.  June  I,  1865.  Sub 
stitute  prior  to  draft.  Absent,  sick.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Wixson,  Caleb.     21.     August  19,  1862.     Coxsackie.     June  3,  1865. 

Whitbeck,  Richard.  27.  August  II,  1862.  Coxsackie.  June  3,  1865. 
Wounded  May  31,  1864.  Residence,  Coxsackie. 

Wolf,  Tunis  P.  42.  August  2,  1862.  New  Baltimore.  June  3,  1865.  Resi 
dence,  New  Baltimore,  N.  Y. 

Wolf,  Philip  F.  22.  August  9,  1862.  New  Baltimore.  Wounded  March  31, 
1865.  M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

Wyman,  William.  19.  September  I,  1864.  Carroll.  Substitute  prior  to  draft. 
M.  O.  G.  O.  77. 

\Vhite,  Silas.  18.  September  5,  1864.  Andover.  June  3,  1865.  Substitute 
prior  to  draft. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 


COMPANY  E. 

Company  E  was  organized  at  Ellenville  by  Captain  Daniel  Gillett, 
First  Lieutenant  Oliver  B.  Gray  and  Second  Lieutenant  Frederick 
Freileweh,  and  was  mustered  into  the  regiment  August  22,  1862,  with 
the  above  named  commissioned  officers  and  eighty-five  enlisted  men. 

Its  losses  from  the  original  members  were  : 

Killed  in  action,  commissioned  officers. i 

Killed  in  action,  enlisted  men _ . . . i o 

Died  while  prisoners  of  war ^ 

Died  of  disease..  8 


Total  deaths  in  service 22 

There  were  discharged  for  physical  disability  : 

Commissioned  officers i 

Enlisted  men 20 


2  i 


Discharged  for  promotion,  enlisted  men 4 

Transferred,  etc.  : 

Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  officers i 

Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  enlisted  men  5 

Transferred  to  73rd  Regiment,  enlisted  men i 

Deserted,  enlisted  men 5 

Mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the  war 29         41 


88 
Two  officers  were  promoted  from  the  ranks  and  two 

officers  joined  from  other  companies.  In  the  summer  of 
1864,  the  company  received  19  recruits,  and  55  veterans 
transferred  from  the  yist  and  y2nd  Regiments. 

Of  the  additions  to  the  Company  : 

Killed  in  action 2 

Died  of  disease i 

Missing  in  action i 

Mustered  out  with  company,  officers 2 

Carried  forward 6 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2  /  I 

COMPANY  E-Continued. 

Brought  forward 5 

Mustered  out  with  company,  men I4 

Discharged  before  mustered  out 6 

Transferred  to  73rd  Regiment 39 

Transferred  on  rolls  as  deserters,  who  never  joined 

company „  6 


Total  enrollment 


.  CAPTAINS. 

Gilllett,  Daniel.  August  22,  1862.  Denning.  Nov.  25,  1864.  Discharged  by 
S.  O.,  No.  419  W.  D.  for  disability.  Died  in  Denning. 

Cole,  Alonzo  R.  21.  August  14,  1862.  Ellenville.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted 
from  ist  Sergeant  to  2nd  Sergeant  January  15,  1864;  to  1st  Lieutenant  Au 
gust  17,  1864;  to  Captain  Januury  16,  1865. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Gray,  Oliver  B.  August  22,  1862.  Ellenville.  October  9,  1863.  Lost  an  arm 
at  Gettysburg.  Transferred  to  V.  K.  C.  Died  in  Florida  March,  1870. 

Funck,  Henry.  30.  June  3,  1864.  New  York  city.  Transferred  from  yist  to 
Company  K,  as  Sergeant.  Promoted  to  2nd  Lieutenant  Company  K.  Pro 
moted  to  1st  Lieutenant  and  transferred  to  Company  E,  January  16,  1865. 
Resided  in  New  York  city  after  the  war. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 

Freilevveh,  Frederick.  August  22,  1862.  Ellenville.  July  2,  1863.  Killed  in 
action  at  Gettysburg. 

Dubois,  Lewis  A.  23.  August  18,  1862.  January  10,  1865.  Promoted  from 
Sergeant  Company  I,  May  5,  1864.  Wounded  September  20,  1864.  Dis 
charged  for  disability.  Died. 

Holmes,  William  J.  25.  August  14,  1862.  Wawarsing.  June  3,  1865.  Cap 
tured  October  10,  1863.  Exchanged  November  20,  1864.  Promoted  from 
Sergeant  January  16,  1865. 

FIRST  SERGEANTS. 

Stevens,  Frederick  L.      23.      December    24,  1863.     May   25,  1865.     Discharged 

on  account  of  wound  received  in  action  October  27,  1864.     Leg  amputated. 

V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd. 
Pomeroy,  John  S.     21.     August  13,  1862.     Ellenville.    June  3,  1865.     Wounded 

at  Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863. 
Vail,  Theron.     21.     August  14,  1862.      Ellenville.      August  9,  1864.      Wounded 

in  action  May  10,  1864.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
Ely,  Frederick.     29.     December  25,   1863.    June  I,   1865.     V.  V.     Transferred 

from  7 ist,    promoted  to  Sergeant  August  9,   i86_|.      ist    Sergeant  May  25, 

1864.     Transferred  to  73d. 


272  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  E-Continued. 

SERGEANTS. 

Wild,  Samuel.  23.  August  2,  1862.  Ellenville.  September  5,  1864.  Sergeant 
August  22,  1862  to  June  23,  1864.  Discharged  for  disability. 

Goss,  Charles.     21.     February  24,    1864.     June    I,    1865.     V.   V.     Transferred 

from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Grogan,  Dennis.     25.     December  24,  1863.     June  i,   1865.     V.  V.     Transferred 

from  72nd.     Paroled  prisoner. 
Morris,  Bernard.     25.     December  24,     1863.    V.    V.     Transferred   from    7±nd. 

Transferred  to  73d. 

CORPORALS. 

Larcom,  Thomas.  36.  August  12,  1862.  Denning.  June  3,  1865.  Captured 
October  10,  1863.  Exchanged  November  20,  1864.  Wounded  March  25, 
1865. 

Bennett,  Charles  E.  21.  August  9,  1862.  Ellenville.  Wounded  May  6,  1864. 
Captured  March  25,  1865. 

Dean,  George.  38.  August  14,  1862.  Ellenville.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted 
February  17,  1863.  Captured  October  10,  1863.  Exchanged  November  20, 
1864.  Wounded  March  25,  1865. 

Pride,  Moses  H.  21.  August  n,  1862.  Ellenville.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted 
February  17,  1863.  Captured  July  2,  1863.  Paroled  August  6,  1863.  Cap 
tured  March  25,  1865.  Residence,  Mount  Holly,  N.  C. 

Many,  Leartes  W.  16.  August  14,  1862.  Denning.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted 
July  I,  1864.  Captured  March  31,  1865. 

Freer,  Stephen  A.  25.  August  n,  1862.  Ellenville.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted 
November  I,  1864.  Wounded  March  25,  1865. 

Chalmers,  Daniel.  40.  August  T,  1862.  New  York  city.  Transferred  from 
72nd.  Captured  March  25,  1865. 

Anderson,  Joseph  B.  42.  August  14,  1862.  Denning.  February  17,  1863. 
Discharged  for  disability. 

McKnight,  John.  23.  August  9,  1892.  Ellenville.  April  18,  1864.  Dis 
charged  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863. 

Unkenholtz,  Frederick.  21.  August  13,  1863.  Ellenville.  May  15,  1864. 
Wounded  May  3,  1863.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Derickenson,  Isaac  D.  25.  August  2,  1862.  Wawarsing.  September  9,  1863. 
Died  at  camp,  near  Beverly  Ford,  Va. 

Dewitt,  Stephen  C.  30.  August  15,  1862.  Denning.  July  3,  1864.  Captured 
May  5,  1864.  Died  a  prisoner  of  war. 

MUSICIANS. 

Palmer,  Nathan  W.     15.     August  22,  1862.     Kingston.    June  3,  1865. 

McLaughlin,  Patrick.  16.  December  25,  1863.  Re-enlisted.  Transferred  from 
72nd.  Transferred  to  73d  June  I,  1863. 

linger,  Phillip.  19.  Transferred  from  72nd.  Transferred  to  73d  to  serve  four 
teen  months  from  January  12,  1865.  To  forfeit  all  pay  to  that  date,  and  pay 
the  expense  of  his  arrest  from  desertion. 

Barber,  John.  18.  December  25,  1863.  Re-enlisted.  Transferred  from  72nd. 
Deserted  May  12,  1864,  while  on  furlough. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH   N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2j  $ 

COMPANY  E-Continued. 

PRIVATES. 

Austin,  Samuel  J.     35.     August  I,  1862.    New  York  city.    June  3,  1865.    Trans 
ferred  from  72nd. 

Ackroid,  William.     22.     September  5,  1864.     Wheatfield.      May  10,  1865.     Re 
cruit.     Discharged  from  general  hospital. 

Augur,  Andrew.      36.       December  24,  1863.      Brandy  Station,   Virginia.     V.  V. 
Transferred  from  72nd.     Absent,  sick. 

Brown,  Edson  B.     27.     August  14,  1862.     Wawarsing.     January  15,  1863.     Dis 
charged  for  disability. 

Brooks,  John.     27.     August  14,  1862.     Wawarsing.      December  23,  1863.      Dis 
charged  for  wounds  received  at  Chancellorsville  May  3,  1863. 

Brennan,  Thomas.     23.     July  I,  1861.     Newark,  N.  J.     August  3,  1864.     Trans 
ferred  from  72nd. 

Barnes,  Hiram.     32.     August  14,  1862.     Wawarsing.     November,  1863.     Trans 
ferred  toV.  R.  C. 

Brown,  Calvin.     19.     July  29,  1862.     Wawarsing.     September  27,  1864.     Killed 
on  picket  in  front  of  Petersburg. 

Brown,  John   K.      22.      August    14,  1862.      Wawarsing.      September  15,  1862. 
Died  in  camp  near  Mount  Vernon,  Va. 

Broderick,  Patrick.     20.     December  25,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 
Transferred  from  72nd.     Deserted  April  I,  1864,  while  on  Vet.  furlough. 

Blake,  Nicholas.      35.      December  31,  1863.      V.  V.      Transferred  from   72nd. 
Deserted  August  29,  1864. 

Collins,  Thomas  H.     24.     August  14,  1862.     Wawarsing.     June  3,  1865. 

Cassle,  Michael.      23.      August  18,  1862.       Dunkirk.      'i>ansferred   from  72nd. 
Absent,  sick. 

Crawford,  Solomon.      26.      July  31,  1862.     Denning.      January  27,  1863.     Dis 
charged  for  disability. 

Cozine,  Benjamin.      24.      May  5,  1861.      New  York  city*      November  27,  1864. 
Transferred  from  72nd. 

Cockburn,  William  J.      27.      August  20,  1862.      Kingston.      Promoted  to  Com 
missary-Sergeant  August  22,  1862. 

Clark,  Francis  W.      21.      July  26,  1862.     December  15,  1862.      Died  in  general 
hospital,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Curry,  Daniel  D.     26.     August  14,  1862.     Ellenville.      July  2,  1863.      Killed  in 
action  at  Gettysburg. 

Cornuker,  Patrick.     21.     August  13,  1863.      Deserted  August  19,  1863  from  gen 
eral  hospital. 

Clark.  Michael.      24.      December  24,  1863.       Brandy  Station,  Virginia.      V.  V. 
Transferred  from  72nd.     Absent,  sick. 

Conklin,  Matthew  R.     22.     December  25,  1863.     V.  V.  from  72nd. 

Carney,  Timothy.     19.     September  5,  1864.     Deerfield.     Recruit.     Paroled  pris 
oner. 

Durlaf,  George.     30.      August  14,  1862.      Denning.      June  3,  1865.     Wounded 
May  6,  1864. 

Dunagan,  Michael.     27.     August  13,  1862.      Lackawack.      Captured  March  25, 
1865.     Paroled  prisoner. 

Donovan,  Timothy.     20.     September  4,  1864.     Vernon.     June  3,  1865.    Recruit. 

Dolovvay,  James  H.     24.     July  31,  1862.      Denning.      February  23,  1863.     Dis 
charged  for  disability. 

18 


274  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

COMPANY  E-Continued. 

PR  I  VAXES—  Continued. 

Donnelly,  Bernard.  28.  December  31,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  Janu- 
ary'i5,  1865.  V.  V.  from  72nd.  Discharged  for  disability. 

Devine,  James.  24.  December  30,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V.  trom 
72nd.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Dayton,  Sydney.  18.  April  9,  1864.  New  York  city.  Recruit.  Transferred 
to  73d.  June  I,  1865. 

Dolan,  John.  20.  December  25,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V.  from 
72nd.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Donovan,  Thomas.  29.  September  5,  1864.  Rochester.  Recruit.  Transferred 
to  73d. 

Davenport,  Thomas.  22.  August  14,  1862.  Denning.  Deserted  November 
25,  1862. 

Dorcy,  James.  22.  February  14,  1862.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Deserted  May  10,  1864,  while  on  Vet.  furlough. 

Devany,  James.  30.  September  8,  1864.  Avon.  Killed  October  27,  1864  in 
action.  Recruit. 

Evans,  James  S.  42.  August  14,  1862.  Denning.  June  3,  1865.  Captured 
March  6,  1865. 

Easman,  William.  21.  August  13,  1862.  Lackawack.  Absent  in  hospital. 
Wounded  June  27,  1864. 

Easman,  Charles.  25.  August  14,  1862.  Wawarsing.  June  3,  1865.  Captured 
at  James  City  October  10,  1863. 

Easman,  Peter.  28.  August  14,  1862.  Denning.  June  3,  1865.  Captured  at 
James  City  October  10,  1863. 

Evans,  Cornelius.  36.  August  13,  1862.  Denning.  November  5,  1863.  Dis 
charged  for  wounds  received  in  action  May  3,  1863. 

Flannery,  John.  24.  December  3,  1864.  Dryden.  Wounded  in  action  October 
27/1864.  Absent  in  hospital. 

Frear,  Zachariah.  27.  August  n,  1862.  Ellenville.  October  n,  1862.  Dis 
charged  for  disability. 

Frear,  Hiram  D.  20.  August  14,  1862.  Esopus.  September  II,  1863.  Dis 
charged  to  accept  promotion  U.  S.  C.  T. 

Fitch,  Gilbert  A.  18.  December  25,  1863.  V.  V.  from  72nd.  Absent. 
Wounded  in  action  March  25,  1865. 

Furman,  James.  26.  August  16,  1862.  Kingston.  October  I,  1864.  Killed 
on  picket  in  front  of  Petersburg. 

Faulkner,  Thomas.  33.  December  25,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  Octo 
ber  27,  1864.  V.  V.  from  72nd.  Killed  in  action  on  Boydton  Plank  Road. 

Fox,  John.  21.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V.  from 
72nd.  Deserted  January  18,  1864,  from  general  hospital. 

Furrey,  Patrick.  23.  May  I,  1861.  Newark,  N.  J.  V.  V.  from  72nd.  May  3, 
1864. 

Graham,  David  P.     19.     August  6,  1862.     Wawarsing.     June  3,  1865. 

Gilfilian,   William.     18.     September  8,  1864.     Elmira.     Recruit.     Absent,   sick. 

Graham,  Frederick.  44.  July  30,  1862.  Denning.  February  17,  1863.  Dis 
charged  for  disability. 

Graham,  Henry.  23.  August  8,  1862.  Lackawack.  March  14,  1863.  Dis 
charged  for  disability. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  E-Continued. 

PRIVATES  —  Continued. 

Groitsmyer,  John.  44.  August  14,  1862.  Ellenville.  February  23,  1863.  Dis 
charged  for  disability. 

Genivan,  William.  22.  December  31,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
from  72nd.  Paroled  prisoner. 

Gillespie,  Patrick.      38.      September  i,  1864.      Avon.      Recruit.      Transferred  to 

73<*. 

Gray,  Tobias.     25.      August  14,  1862.      Wawarsing.      June  3,  1864.      Killed  in 

action  at  Cold  Harbor. 
Gregory,  David  D.  L.     21.      August  13,  1862.      Ellenville.      September  2,  1864. 

Captured  October  10,  1862.     Died  a  prisoner  of  war. 

Garrity,  Thomas.  28.  February  12,  1864.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
from  72nd.  Deserted  May  10,  1864,  while  on  Vet.  furlough. 

Hoffman,  Robert  S.     39.'     August  8,  1862.     Wawarsing.     June  3,  1865. 

Hook,  Charles  A.  28.  August  14,  1862.  Wawarsing.  October  17,  1863.  Dis 
charged  for  wounds  received  at  Chancellorsville  May  3,  1863. 

Hornbeck,  James.  39.  August  7,  1862.  Wawarsing.  February  15,  1864. 
Transferred  to  V.  R.'C. 

Hannan,  Thomas.  35.  August  13,  1862.  Ellenville.  March  13,  1864. 
Wounded  and  captured  October  10,  1863.  Died  a  prisoner  of  war. 

Heroy,  William  II.  18.  August  2,  1862.  Wawarsing.  April  18,  1864.  Died 
at  United  States  general  hospital,  Baltimore.  Disease  contracted  while  pris 
oner  of  war. 

Howard,  Frank.  32.  February  13,  1864.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
from  72nd.  Deserted  May  10,  1864,  while  on  Vet.  furlough. 

Irvin,  John  D.  27.  August  8,  1862.  Lackawack.  October  17,  1863.  Dis 
charged  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Chancellorsville  May  3,  1863. 

Knight,  Burgoyn.  25.  August  14,  1862.  Wawarsing.  March  8,  1865.  Dis 
charged.  Wounded  in  action  June  17,  1864. 

Kraus,  Ernst.  19.  August  6,  1864.  Avon.  Recruit.  Wounded  in  action  Oc 
tober  25,  1864.  Absent,  sick  in  hospital. 

Koinsdorfer,  Adolph.  23.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V. 
V.  from  72nd.  Paroled  prisoner. 

Kearns,  James.  38.  December  25,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
from  72nd.  Absent. 

Lyman,  William.     22.     February  28,  1865.     Rome.     Recruit.     Absent. 

Loomis,  James  M.     23.      August  9,  1862.      Wawarsing.      Deserted  May  I,  1863. 

Lewis,  John.     25.     August  4,  1862.     Ellenville.     June  3,  1865. 

Misner,  Henry.  31.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Captured 
October  10,  1863. 

Miller,  Henry.     19.     August  13,  1864.     Binghamton.     June  3,  1865.     Recruit. 

Many,  Artemus  D,  27.  August  15,  1862.  Denning.  January  22,  1864. 
Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

McCurdy,  James.  22.  September  6,  1863.  Rochester.  Recruit.  Transferred 
to  73d. 

McGuire,  Michael  T.  25.  December  31,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V. 
V.  Paroled  prisoner. 

Maxam,  Wesley  D.  29.  August  6,  1862.  Wawarsing.  Transferred  to  73d  to 
serve  14  months  over  his  original  term  of  service  and  to  forfeit  one-half  of  his 
monthly  pay. 


276  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  E-Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Miller,  Frederick.     29.     January  215,   1864.     Brandy   Station,  Virginia.     August 
12,  1864.     V.  V.  from  72nd.     Died  at  Brattleboro,  Vt. 

McGreal,  Patrick.     18.    September  12,  1864.     Lockport.    June  2,  1865.    Recruit. 

Nickerson,  Alexander.     18.     August  27,  1864.     Ithaca.     June 2,  1865.     Recruit. 

Nickerson,  David.     25.     August  14,    1862.     Wawarsing.     Died  at  Lincoln  gen 
eral  hospital,  Washington,  October  13,  1864. 

Oswell,  George  M.     21.     December  24,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 
from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 

O'Neil,  Joseph.     24.     December  24,   1863.      Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 
from  72d.     Transferred  to  73d. 

O'Donnell,  Michael.     35.     December  31,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.    V.  V. 
from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 

O'Brien,  Owen.     33.     December  25,  1863.    Brandy  Station,  Virginia.    V.  V.  from 
72d.     Wounded  March  26,  1865.     Transferred  to  73d. 

Powers,  John,  Jr.     19.     August  14,  1862.     Ellenville.     June  3,  1865. 

Pomeroy,  William  E.     19.     August  13,  1862.     Ellenville.     June  3,  1865. 

Pierce,  Josiah  D.     18.     August  14,  1862.     Ellenville.     June  3,  1865.     Wounded 
July  2,  1863,  at  Gettysburg. 

Polhamus,  Albert.     18.     August  4,  1862.     Wawarsing.     Absent,  wounded. 

Peck,  William.     21.     August  II,  1862.     Wawarsing.     May  24,   1863.     Died   at 
Falmouth,  Va. 

Pendergast,  Daniel.     21.     December  31,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 
from  72nd.     Deserted  while  on  Vet.  furlough,  May  10,  1864. 

Powers,  John,  Sr.     40.     September   3,    1864.     Lockport.     Recruit.     Missing   in 
action  October  27,  1864. 

Rose,  Samuel.      18.     August  22,   1862.     Kingston.     Absent   in  general   hospital 
since  October  15,  1863. 

Robertson,    William.     28.     September   8,    1864.     Lewiston.      Recruit.     Absent. 
Paroled  prisoner.     Captured  October  27,  1864. 

Ryan,  John.     24.     April  21,  1864.     New  York  city.     Transferred  from  72nd  to 
serve  12  months  over  original  enlistment  by  order  G.  C.  M. 

Richerson,    Harvey.     21.     August  14,    1862.     Wawarsing.      July,    1863.     Dis 
charged  on  certificate  of  disability. 

Roby,  James   H.     31.     July  I,  1861.     New  York  city.     July  20,  1864.     Trans 
ferred  from  72nd. 

Robinson,   John.     22.     September    9,    1864.     China.     Recruit.     Transferred   to 
73d- 

Roberts,  Charles.-    21.     December  14,  1864.     New  York  city.     Recruit.     Paroled 
prisoner. 

Sharpe,    Albert.     18.     August  3,   1862.     Lackawack.     Absent,    in   general  hos 
pital,  wounded.     April  2,  1865. 

Shortman,  Lewis.     32.     August  13,  1862.     Denning.     June  3,  1865. 

Sharpe,  Nathan  J.     18.     August  14,  1862.     Wawarsing.     Wounded  and  captured 
October  27,  1864. 

Sheeley,  Charles.     22.     August  II,  1862.     Ellenville.     June  3,  1865. 

Silcox,  Henry.     40.     December  2,  1864.     Utica.    June  3,  1865.     Recruit. 

Sheeley,  John  V.     35.     August   7,   1862.     Ellenville.     February  3,  1863.     Dis 
charged  for  disability. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  277 

COMPANY  E-Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Searles,  Edward.     25.     August  4,  1862.     Wawarsing.     December  9,  1864.     Dis 
charged  from  wound  received  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863. 

Smith,  Peter.     20.     February  13,  1864.     V.  V.  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Staub,    Frederick.     20.     December  24,    1863.     V.  V.   from    72nd.     Transferred 

to  73d. 

Spell,  Benjamin.     44.     August  n,  1864.     Utica.     Recruit.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Sharpe,    John.     21.     August  9,    1862.     Wawarsing.     April    5,    1863.     Died  at 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  while  on  furlough. 
Sparks,  Theodore  W.     33.     August  8,  1862.     Ellenville.     April  14,  1863.     Died 

at  Falmouth,  Va. 
Sheeley,  William.     22.     August  11,   1862.     Ellenville.     July  7,  1863.     Killed  in 

action  at  Gettysburg. 
Sheeley,  Edward.     19.     August- 8,  1862.     Lackawack.     May  3,  1863.     Killed  in 

action  at  Chancellorsville  May  3,  1863. 
Schwab,  Anthony  H.     21.     August  13,  1862.     Denning.     March  25,  1865.     Died 

of  wounds  received  in  action  at  Hatcher's  Run. 
Sawyer,   James.     24.     August   14,   1862.     Ellenville.     Deserted  May   30,    1863, 

while  on  furlough. 
Tilton,    Remson.     22.     December  24,   1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

from  72nd.     Paroled  prisoner.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Troomey,  David  D.     22.     October  31,  1861.     New  York  city.     V.  V.  from  72nd 

to  serve  over  time  for  desertion  by  sentence  C.  M.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Vansse,  Walter.     29.     August  14,   1862.     Denning.     Captured   at   Chancellors 
ville  May  3,  1863. 
Wall,  Edward.     36.     February  13,  1864.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V.  from 

72nd.     Wounded  in  action  March  25,  1865.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Williams,   Joseph.     26.     February  14,   1864.     Brandy   Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Ware,  John  A.     29.     July  31,  1862.     Kingston.     May  3,  1863.     Killed  in  action 

at  Chancellorsville  May  2,  1863. 
Whitcomb,  Rush  M.     18.     August  3,  1862.     Denning.     July  2,  1863.     Killed  in 

action  at  Gettysburg. 
Whiler,  John.     43.     August  20,  1862.     Kingston.     Deserted  August  24,  1862,  at 

Kingston.     Received  $25  advanced  bounty  and  clothing  valued  at  $27. 
Ward,  John.     41.     September  15,  1861.     New  York  city.     Deserted  June,  1863. 
Williamson,  James.     32.     December  24.  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

from  72nd.     Deserted  March  25,  1865,  while  on  furlough. 
York,  Morris.     21.     August  2,   1862.     Wawarsing.     August  8,   1863.     Died   of 

wounds  received  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863. 
York,  Jacob  A.     29.     August  14,  1862.     Wawarsing.     Discharged  December  24, 

186$,  for  disability. 

York,    Abram.      24.      August    14,    1862.      Ellenville.     October   7,    1864.      Dis 
charged  from  wound  received  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863. 
Zepkie,  August.     32.     September  9,  1864.     Corning.     June  3,  1865.     Recruit. 


278  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 


COMPANY  F. 

Company  F  was  one  of  the  three  companies  raised  in  Greene 
county.  The  men  were  enlisted  by  Captain  Theodore  F.  Overbaugh, 
of  Catskill,  Lieutenant  Gilbert  Pettit,  of  Lexington,  and  Lieutenant 
Joseph  S.  Oakley,  of  Catskill.  The  company  was  mustered  into  the 
regiment  with  these  officers  and  ninety-three  enlisted  men. 

Its  losses  from  the  original  members  were  : 

Killed  in  action  and  died  of  wounds 5 

Died  prisoners  of  war 2 

Died  of  disease. .  10 


Total  deaths  in  service  ........................  17 

There  were  discharged  for  physical  disability  : 

Officers  ...........  .  .........................        i 

Enlisted  men  ................................      14 


Transferred,  etc.  : 

Transferred  by  promotion  ......................       4 

Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps.  ...  .........  14 

Transferred  to  New  York  Cavalry  ................        i 

Deserted  ....................................  1  1 

Mustered  out  at  close  of  the  war  ................  34         64 


One  officer  was  received  by  promotion  from  another 
company,  55  men  were  received  from  the  yist  and  72nd 
Regiments,  and  28  recruits  joined. 

Of  the  additions  to  the  Company  : 

Killed  in  action  and  died  of  wounds 3 

Died  of  disease 4 

Deserted  before  transfer 4 

Discharged 19 

Transferred  to  73rd  Regiment 21 

Mustered  out 33         84 


Total  enrollment. .  180 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y,  S.    VOLS.  2/9 

COMPANY  F-Continued. 

CAPTAINS. 

Overbaugh,  Theodore  F.  30.  August  22,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Discharged 
on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability  August  10,  1863.  Died  of  disease  at 
Catskill,  N.  Y. 

Pettit,  Gilbert.  39.  August  22,  1862.  Lexington,  N.  Y.  Mustered  as  First 
Lieutenant  August  22,  1862.  Promoted  Captain  January  15,  1864.  Was 
taken  prisoner  June  I,  1864.  Was  prisoner  9  months.  Discharged  June  3, 
1865.  Present  residence,  Macon,  Ga. 

LIEUTENANTS. 

Plimley,  William.  26.  August  12,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Promoted  Second 
Lieutenant  August  22,  1864.  First  Lieutenant  December  22,  1864,  A.  D.  C. 
brigade,  headquarters  (see  Company  K).  Present  address,  New  York  city. 

Dickerman,  Putnam  B.  24.  August  I,  1862.  Jewett.  August  22,  as  Sergeant. 
Promoted  First  Sergeant  January  19,  1864.  Second  Lieutenant  December  22, 

1864.  Discharged  June  3,  1865,  at  Kingston,  N.  Y.      Was  with  regiment  on 
every  march  and  in  every  battle  in  which  the  regiment  participated  until  Feb 
ruary  5,  1865.     Present  residence,  New  Milford,  111. 

Thomas,  Arthur  W.     30.      August  19,  1862.     Catskill.      Mustered  as  Sergeant  at 

Kingston  August  22,  1862.      Promoted  First  Sergeant  April  I,  1863.      First 

Lieutenant  June    17,    1864.       Captain   Company    D    December   22,    1864. 

Wounded  severely  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.       Discharged  at  Kingston,  N. 

Y.,  June  3,  1865.     Died  in  Catskill  November  15,  1884. 
Oakley,  Joseph  S.     38.     August  22,  1862.      Catskill,  N.  Y.      Mustered  as  Second 

Lieutenant  August  22,  1862,  at  Kingston,  N.  Y.      Promoted  First  Lieutenant 

Company  D  August  9,  1864. 
Moffatt,  John  S.     20.      August  6,  1862.      Catskill,  N.  Y.      Mustered  as  Corporal 

August  22,  1862,  at  Kingston,  N.  Y.      Promoted  to  Sergeant  July  24,  1864. 

First  Lieutenant  January  16,  1865.      Transferred  by  promotion  February  4, 

1865,  to  Company  G.     Discharged  at  Kingston  June  3,  1865. 

SERGEANTS. 

WTright,  Oliver.  40.  August  14,  1862.  Lexington,  N.  Y.  Mustered  at  Kings 
ton,  N.  Y.,  August  22,  1862,  as  private.  Promoted  Sergeant  February  17, 
1863.  First  Sergeant  December  22,  1864.  Discharged  June  3,  1865.  Died 
at  Durham,  N.  Y.,  1889,  of  disease. 

Rider,  John.  34.  July  26,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Mustered  August  22,  1862, 
at  Kingston,  N.  Y.,  as  Sergeant.  Wounded  at  Chancellorsville  May  3,  1863. 
Mustered  out  under  General  Orders  No.  77. 

Greene,  Nelson  O.  23.  July  26,  1862.  Hunter,  N.  Y.  Mustered  at  Kingston, 
August  22,  1862,  as  private.  Promoted  to  Sergeant  December  22,  1864.  Dis 
charged  June  3,  1865.  Present  residence,  Hunter,  N.  Y. 

Shantz,  John  G.  20.  July  26,  1862.  Hunter,  N.  Y.  Mustered  at  Kingston, 
N.  Y,,  August  22,  1862.  Promoted  to  Corporal  November  I,  1864.  To 
Sergeant  February  4,  1865.  Discharged  June  3,  1865.  Present  residence, 
New  York  city. 

•Carrington,  Sidney.     30.     August  12,  1862.     Brooklyn,  N.  Y.     Mustered  at  New 
York  city  August  12,  1862.      Transferred  from  Company  H,  yist  N.  \.  V., 
July  7,  1864.      Promoted  from  private  to  Sergeant  January  I,  1865. 
charged  June  3,  1865. 

Greene,  Samuel  W.  42.  August  14,  1862.  Lexington,  N  Y.  Discharged  on 
Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability  August  6,  1863.  Died  at  Wallkill,  Is.  \  ., 
June  4,  1877. 


28O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  F-Continued. 

SERGEANTS— Continued. 

Dumphy,  Peter.  25  July  17,  ,861.  Newark,  N.  J.  Transferred  from  Com 
pany  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.  Discharged  by  reason  of  expiration 
of  term  of  service  July  23,  1864. 

Cole,  Charles.  28.  August  15,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  August  22,  1862.  Pro 
moted  Corporal  August  15,  1862.  Sergeant  April  i,  1863.  Wounded  Novem 
ber  27,  1863.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  September  30,  1864. 

Heavy,  James.  30.  November  25,  1861.  New  York  city.  Transferred  from 
Company  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.  Discharged  October  14  1864 
by  reason  of  Special  Orders  No.  254,  dated  September  14,  1864. 

McDonough,  Philip.     21.      February  10,  1864.      Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     Pro 
moted  Sergeant  November  8,  1864.    Sergeant-Major  January  i,  1865     Trans 
ferred  to  Non-Commissioned  Staff.      Transferred  from  Company  H,  yist  N. 

Skillen  John.  40.  August  28,  1862.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Killed  November  7 
I8&4,  front  of  Petersburg!!.  Transferred  from  Company  H,  7ist  N  Y  V 
July  7,  1864. 

CORPORALS. 

Graham  Alfred  R.  24.  July  26,  1862.  Hunter,  N.  Y.  Promoted  to  Corporal 
April  i  1863  Severely  wounded  May  6,  1864.  Discharged  June  27,  i86c, 
from  Fmlay  hospital,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Graham,  Albert  S.  24.  July  26,  1862.  Hunter,  N.  Y.  Promoted  to  Corporal 
July  24,  1864.  Wounded  July  2,  1863,  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  also  in  front  of 
Petersburg!!  November  7,  1864.  Discharged  June  27,  1865,  from  Finlay  <ren- 
eral  hospital,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Frank,  Levi  D.  29.  August  9,  1862.  Sheridan,  N.  Y.  Transferred  from  Com- 
pany  H,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  October  30,  1864.  Discharged  June  3,  1865. 

Walsh,  James  S.  29.  August  9,  1862.  New  York  city.  Transferred  from 
Company  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.  Discharged  June  3,  1865. 

Dunham  Francis  J  26.  August  6,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral  July  i,  1864.  Discharged  June  3,  1865. 

Van  Leuyen  John  W.  23.  July  26,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral  February  5,  1865.  Discharged  June  3,  1865.  Present  residence,  Cats- 
kii],  JN «  V  • 

Brown  John  T.  23  August  29,  1864.  Owego,  N.  Y.  Substitute.  Promoted 
to  Corporal  March  10,  1865.  Discharged  June  3,  1865. 

MUSICIAN. 

Rice,  George  E.     18.     August  i,  1862.    Jewett,  N.  Y.     Discharged  June  3,  1865. 
PRIVATES. 

Allan.  Benjamin  F.     21.     August  29.  1862.     New  York  city.     Transferred  from 

Company  H,  7 1st  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,   1864.     Wounded   November   2,   1864. 

Leg  off.     Discharged  from  general  hospital  under  General  Orders  No.  77. 
Benjamin,  John  W.     25.     July  29,   1862.     Hunter,  N.  Y.     Captured   at   Tames 

City,  Va.,  October  10,  1863.     Died  at  Andersonville  July,  1864. 
Brandow,  George.     29.     August  8,   1862.     Jewett,  N.  Y.     Discharged   Tune  3 

1865.     Present  address,  Catskill,  N.  Y. 
Balser,  Henry.     24.     August  5,  1862.     Catskill,  N.  Y.     Detached  to  Battery  K 

4th  U.  S.  A.,  May  4,  1863.     Discharged  June  3,  1865. 


ONE   HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  28  I 

COMPANY  F-Continued. 


PR  I  VAXES—  Continued. 


Ma;  6s6  ?'  lr          ngSt°n'  N<  Y*     Wounded  ^  2> 

May  o,  1864.     Discharged  June  3,  1865 

862'    ,Lexil^ton'  N.  Y.     Taken  prisoner  at 
10,  1863,  and  was  in  the  following  prisons  •    Libby 

ai,moh  TT°n!  Bdl!  Islam1'  Andersonville  fnd  Savanna       m 

all  13  months,  9  days.     Discharged  June  31,  1865. 

Bloomier,  Daniel.     35.     August  n,  1862.     Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.     Transferred 

from  Company  H    7ist  N.   Y    V.,  July  7,  1864.       Wounded    Septembei    I 

1864.     Discharged  June  3,  1865. 
Bates    John   W^     28.     August    12,    1862.     Brooklyn,  N.  Y.     Transferred   from 

Company  H,  7ist  N   Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.       Provost  Marshal's  c5?Dfo££ 

headquarters.     Discharged  June  3,  1865. 
Brannigan     Robert    F.     20.     August  30,   1862.     Brooklyn,    N.  Y.     Transferred 

from  Company  H,  7ist  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.     Discharged  June  3,  ,865 
irownjohn  E.     20.     August  11,  1862.  ,  Lexington,  N.  Y.     Discharged  June  3, 

Brower,  Charles  W.     25.     August  22,  1864.     Owego,  N.  Y.     Substitute. 
Brock,  Lewis  J.     22.     August  26,  1864.     Owego,  N.  Y.     Substitute. 
Bornt,  Lyman.     18.     August  23,  1864.     Owego,  N.  Y.     Substitute. 
Bement,  Edward  P      18.     September  2,  1864.     Owego,  N.  Y.     Substitute.     Dis 
charged  under  General  Orders  No.  77. 

Cline,  Emery  D.     23.     August  9,  1862.     Hunter,  N.  V.     Wounded  at  Spottsyl- 

vania.     Discharged  under  General  Orders  No.  77,  A.  G.  O. 
Clinton,  Michael.     43.     August  14,  1862.     Catskill,  N.  Y.     Mustered  out  June  3, 

Coyle,  John.     29.     August  14,  1862.     Catskill,  N.  Y.     Mustered  out  June  3,  1865. 
Cronin,  Thomas.     23.     August    10,   1862.     Brooklyn,  N.  Y.     Transferred   from 

Company  H,  7ist    Regiment,  N.  Y.  V.,  July   7,  1864.      Wounded   October 

27,  1864,  at  Boydton  Plank  Road.    Discharged  under  General  Orders  No.  77. 
Corbin,  Newell.     18.     September   3,    1864.     Owego,    N.   Y.      Substitute.     Dis 

charged  under  General  Orders  No.  77. 
Daly,  James.     27.     September  I,  1862.     Brooklyn.     Transferred  from  Company 

H,  7  1st  Regiment,  N.  Y.  V.     Discharged  under  General  Orders  No.  77. 
Eignor,  Jackson  H.     34.     August  1  1,  1862.     Lexington,  N.  Y.     Wounded  March 

25,  1865.     Leg  off.     Discharged  under  General  Orders  No.  77. 
Ford,    Edwin.     21.     August    14,    1862.     Lexington,    N.  Y.     Discharged    under 

General  Orders  No.  77.     Taken  prisoner  at  Mine  Run,  1864.     Wounded  July 

2,    1862.     Exchanged    in    November,    1864.     Present    residence  and   P.  O. 

address,  Lexington,  N.  Y. 

Griffin,  Uriah  P.  28.  August  10,  1862.  Jewett,  N.  Y.  Discharged  under 
General  Orders  No.  77  June  27,  1865,  at  New  York.  Taken  prisoner  October 
10,  1863,  at  James  City,  Va.,  and  was  in  the  following  prisons:  Libby,  Pem- 
berton,  Belle  Island,  Andersonville,  Savannah  and  Mellen.  Served  in  these 
prisons  18  months,  20  days.  Present  residence,  Hunter,  Greene  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Howard,  Jonathan.  35.  August  8,  1862.  Jewett.  Discharged  June  3,  1865. 
Present  residence,  Lexington,  Greene  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Hager,  Theodore.  18.  August  25,  1864.  Owego,  N.  Y.  Substitute.  Mus 
tered  out  June  3,  1865. 

Hovencamp,  Joshua.  18.  Owego,  N.  Y.  Substitute.  Discharged  under  General 
Orders  No.  77.  No  discharge  furnished. 


282  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  F-Continued. 

PR  I  VAXES — Continued. 

Hall,^Elbert  O.  24.  August  5,  1862.  Jewett,  N.  Y.  Wounded  at  Battle  of 
Chancellorsville  May  3,  1863.  Taken  prisoner  May  3,  1863.  Discharged 
under  General  Orders  No.  77.  Present  residence,  Windham,  Greene  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Ingalls,  Frederick.  29.  August  9,  1862.  Hunter,  N.  Y.  Wounded  in  left  leg 
in  front  of  Petersburg  August  22,  1864.  Was  taken  prisoner  at  Battle  of  the 
Wilderness.  Discharged  June  2,  1865. 

Keller,  John  C.  27.  August  28,  1862.  Hunter,  N.  Y.  Discharged  June  3, 
1865.  Present  residence,  Hunter,  N.  Y. 

Lang,  Adam.  28.  August  29,  1862.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Transferred  from 
Company  H,  7ist  N.  Y.  V.  Mustered  out  June  3,  1865. 

Lyle,  William  R.  45.  August  27,  1862.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Transferred  from 
Company  H,  7  ist  N.  Y.  V.  Detached  to  Brig  Pioneer  Corps.  Discharged 
June  3,  1865. 

Lashier,  Adalbert.  18.  August  29,  1864.  Owego,  N.  Y.  Substitute.  Mus 
tered  out  June  3,  1865. 

Lintz,  Andrew.  29.  August  1 1,  1862.  New  York  city.  Transferred  from  Com 
pany  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.  Mustered  out  June  3,  1865. 

McGinnis,  Hugh.  23.  August  1 5,  1862.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Transferred  from 
Company  H,  jisl  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.  Absent,  sick,  never  been  heard 
from. 

McCoon,  James.  35.  August  1 1,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Discharged  June  2, 
1865. 

Parsons,  Henry  S.  31.  August  12,  1862.  New  York  city.  Transferred  from 
Company  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  22,  1864.  Detached  at  Division  head 
quarters.  Mustered  out  June  3,  1865. 

Preston,  Henry.  18.  August  22,  1864.  Owego,  N.  Y.  Substitute.  Mustered 
out  June  3,  1865. 

Quick,  Charles  II.  18.  August  31,  1864.  Owego,  N.  Y.  Wounded  March  25, 
1865.  Arm  off.  Discharged  under  General  Orders  No.  77.  Substitute. 

Russell,  William  L.  35.  August  8,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Mustered  out  June 
3,  1865. 

Rivenburgh,  David.  23.  August  15,  1862.  Lexington,  N.  Y.  Wounded  at 
Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Mustered  out  June  3,  1865. 

Riddell,  Richard  W.  18.  August  31,  1864.  Owego,  N.  Y.  Substitute.  Dis 
charged  under  General  Orders  No.  77,  A.  G.  O. 

Scutt,  Abram.  40.  August  13,  1862.  Lexington,  N.  Y.  Detached  at  2nd  Corps 
hospital  August  5,  1864.  Mustered  out  June  3,  1865. 

Stillwell,  Benjamin  F.  18.  August  29,  1864.  Owego,  N.  Y.  Substitute.  Dis 
charged  under  General  Orders  No.  77,  A.  G.  O.  No  discharge. 

Schantz,  Jacob.  18.  September  25,  1864.  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  Recruit.  Mus 
tered  out  June  3,  1865.  Present  residence,  Maplewood,  N.  Y. 

Ten  Broeck,  Theodore.  34.  August  13,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Wounded  at 
Gettysburg  July  2,  1863  ;  the  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864;  Mine  Run,  Novem 
ber  27,  1863.  Discharged  under  General  Oraers  No.  77,  A.  G.  O.  Present 
residence,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Traphagen,  Kimber.  39.  August  13,  1862.  Lexington,  N.  Y.  Died  at  Glens 
Falls,  N.  Y.,  February  15,  1893. 

Thornton,  Joshua.  18.  August  30,  1864.  Owego,  N.  Y.  Substitute.  Dis 
charged  under  General  Orders  No.  77,  A.  G.  O.  t 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N,  Y.  S.    VOLS.  283 

COMPANY  F-Continued. 

PRIVATES—  Continued, 

Wilcox,    Peter.     20.     August   2,  1862.     Hunter,    N.  Y.     Wounded   at  Boydton 

Plank  Road  October  27,  1864,  in  right  arm  at  elbow.     Discharged  June  13, 

1865.     Residence,  Hunter,  N.  Y. 
Wagner,   John.     41.     August  30,    1862.     Brooklyn,    N.   Y.     Transferred    from 

Company  H,  yist  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.     Discharged  under  General  Orders 

No.  77,  A.  G.  O. 
Williams,  Jeremiah.     1  8.     August  30,   1864.     Owego,  N.  Y.     Substitute.     Mus 

tered  out  June  3,  1865. 
Wheeler,  James  C.    18.    August  25,  1864.    Owego,  N.  Y.    Substitute.    Wounded 

March  25,  1865.     Discharged  under  General  Orders  No.  77,  A.  G.  O. 

DISCHARGED  PRIVATES. 
Cole,  Edward.     25.      August  14,  1862.      Lexington,  N.  Y.      Discharged  on  Sur 

geon's  certificate  of  disability  May  I,  1864.      Wounded  in  right  leg.     Leg  off 

July  2,  1863.     Discharged  April  28,  1864,  at  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Conner   William.     23.     July  2,  1861.      Newark,  N.  J.      Transferred  from  Com 

pany  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.     Discharged  July  23,  1864,  by  reason 

of  expiration  of  term  of  service. 
Curtis   Frederick.      28.      May  12,  1861.      Clean,  N.  Y.      Transferred  from  Com 

pany  H,  7ist  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.      Discharged  July  20,  1864,  by  reason 

of  expiration  of  term  of  service. 
Clark    John      34.     September  8,  1861.     New  York  city.     Transferred  from  Com 

pany  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.      Discharged  September  9,  1864,  by 

reason  of  expiration  of  term  of  service. 
Cronin,  James.     23.     March  17,  1862.     New  York  city.     Transferred  from  Com 

pany  H,  7ist  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.     Discharged  March  17,  1865,  by  reason 

of  expiration  of  term  of  service. 
Costello    Tames.     29.     September  25,  1862.      New  York  city.      Transferred  from 

Company  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.       Discharged  on  Surgeon  s  ce 

tificate  of  disability  March  2,  1865. 
Estes,  Elijah  H.      29.      May  12,  1861.      Olean,  N.  Y.      Transferred  from  Com 

pany  H,  7ist  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,    1864.       Discharged  by   reason  of  term  ol 

expiration  of  service  July  20,  1864. 
Ford,  Francis.     23.      August  14,  1862.      Lexington,  N.  Y.      Discharged  on  Si 

geon's  certificate  of  disability  April  II,  1863. 
Furnia    Martin.      26.      June  10,  1861.       Olean,  N.  Y.      Transferred  from  Com 

pany  H,  7ist  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.      Discharged  by  reason  of  expiration  of 

term  of  service  July  20,  1864. 
Goodsell    Emory  T      26.     August  14,  1862.     Hunter,  N.  Y.     Discharged  on  Sur 

geon's  T  certifil-ate  of  disability  April   18,  1863.       Died  at  Wnulham,  Greene 
county,  N.  Y.,  October  15,  1872. 

Greenman,  Silas  S.     28.     December  25,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia,     frans. 
ferred  from  Company  H,  7ist  Regiment,  N.  \.  V     July  7,  1864. 
on  Sun/eon's  certificate  of  disability  February  13,  1865. 


term  of  service  July  20,  1864. 


284  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  F.  S.  VOLS. 

COMPANY  F-Continued. 

DISCHARGED  PRIVATES—  Continued. 

Linsley,  James.  20.  August  14,  1862.  Hunter,  N.  Y.  Wounded  at  Gettys 
burg  July  2,  1863.  Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability  January 
5,  1864.  Present  residence,  Hunter,  Greene  county,  N.  Y. 

Majilton,  Timothy.  25.  August  n,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Wounded  in  neck 
severely  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  ot 
disability  December  18,  i'863-  Present  address,  Lare  Viero,  Lake  county, 
Oregon. 

McTaigue,  Patrick.      32.      July   20,   1861.      Newark,   N.  J.      Transferred  from 

Company  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.      Discharged  for  expiration  of 

term  of  service  July  23,  1864. 
Mullagan,   Bartholemew.      26.      August  4,  1862.      Catskill,  N.   Y.      Wounded 

severely  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.      Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of 

disability  December  I,  1864. 

O'Mara,  Patrick.  32.  September  8,  1861.  Newark,  N.  J.  Transferred  from 
72nd  June  20,  1864.  Discharged  by  reason  of  expiration  of  term  of  service. 

Reynolds,  Elijah.  29.  August  18,  1862.  Lexington,  N.  Y.  Discharged  on 
Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability  December  13,  1862.  Died  at  Phoenicia, 
Ulster  county,  N.  Y.,  of  disease. 

Robbins,  Charles  P.  21.  May  12,  1861.  Olean,  N.  Y.  Transferred  from  Com 
pany  F.  7ist  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.  Discharged  by  reason  of  expiration  of 
term  of  service  July  20,  1864. 

Reitmiller,  George.  36.  August  12,  1862.  New  York  city.  Transferred  from 
Company  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.  Discharged  on  Surgeon's  cer 
tificate  of  disability  August  12,  1865. 

Ruger,  Charles.  31.  August  6,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Promoted  to  Corporal 
February  n,  1863.  Wounded  in  right  hand  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863. 
Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability  March  10,  1865.  Died  at 
Ward's  Island,  N.  Y.,  1877. 

Streight,  Joshua.  28.  August  11,  1862.  Shandaken,  N.  Y.  Discharged  on 
Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability  March  14,  1863. 

Trowbridge,  James.  38.  August  8,  1862..  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Wounded  in  ankle 
at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability 
June  20,  1865.  Died  in  New  York  city  August,  1873. 

VanLeuven,  Ambrose  A.  27.  August  II,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Wounded  at 
Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability 
June  2,  1864.  Died  December  14,  1880,  at  Jersey  City. 

Varrew,  Lewis.  49.  July  16,  1861.  New  York  city.  Transferred  from  Com 
pany  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.  Discharged  by  reason  of  expiration 
of  term  of  service  July  23,  1861. 

VanSise,  Robert.  28.  June  I,  1861.  Olean.  N.  Y.  Transferred  from  Com 
pany  H,  7 ist  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.  Discharged  by  reason  of  Surgeon's 
certificate  of  disability  July  20,  1864. 

Willard,  Emmett  F.  24.  August  6,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Discharged  on  Sur 
geon's  certificate  of  disability  November  20,  1862. 

Wright,  Frederick.  47.  May  17,  1861.  Olean,  N.  Y.  Transferred  from  Com 
pany  H,  7ist  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.  Discharged  by  reason  of  expiration  of 
term  of  service  July  20,  1864. 

Deeney,  Edward.  28.  December  21,  1863.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  Company 
F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  24,  1864.  Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of 
disability  April  25,  1865. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  285 

COMPANY  F-Continued. 

TRANSFERRED. 

Ashley,  John  J  Jr.  20.  August  7,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  V.  Transferred  to  1st 
U.  S.  C.  January  19,  1863. 

Benjamin  Horatio.  30  August  14,  1862.  Lexington,  N.  Y.  Promoted  Cor- 
poral  December  I,  1862.  Wounded  May  3,  1863.  Transferred  to  V  R  C 
March  15,  1864,  by  order  Secretary  of  War. 

.Brown ,  William  H.  24.  August  1 1,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Transferred  to  Vet 
K.  C.  Promoted  Corporal  August  n,  1862. 

Hoes  Aaron.  27.  August  8,  1862.  Jewett,  N.  Y.  Wounded  Mav  <,  1864 
Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  February  6,  1865,  by  order  Secretary  War.  Resi 
dence,  Rondout,  N.  Y. 

Jones,  Milo  A.  22.  August  9,  1862.  Jewett,  N.  Y.  Wounded  July  2,  1867 
Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  March  15,  1864,  by  order  Secretary  of  War.  Present 
residence,  New  Milford,  111. 

Joesbury,  Joseph  F.  21.  August  22,  1862.  Catskill.  Transferred  by  promo 
tion  as  Quartermaster-Sergeant  to  Non-Commissioned  Staff  September  i 
1864.  Discharged  June  I,  1869,  as  Quarter-Master  Sergeant,  Headquarters 
Third  Division  L.  A.  P.,  by  reason  of  war  ended.  Died  at  Catskill. 

Kline,  Charles  A.  30.  August  5,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Wounded  July  2, 
1863.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  by  order  of  Secretary  of  War. 

Lackey,  Peter.  26.  August  6,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Wounded  July  2,  1863. 
Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  September  30,  1863,  by  ortlei'  Secretary  War.  Pres 
ent  residence,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Marshall,  James.  27.  August  18,  1862.  New  York  city.  Transferred  to  V.  R. 
C.  February  15,  1864,  by  order  Secretary  War  ;  from  Company  F,  72nd  N. 
Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864. 

Mackey,  Isaac.  22.  August  3,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
Date  not  known. 

Mastling,  John  M.  27.  August  I,  1862.  Hunter,  N.  Y.  Wounded  July  2, 
1863.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  November  19,  1864,  by  order  Secretary  War, 
Present  residence,  McCoy,  Polk  Co.,  Oregon. 

Rider,  Alexander  W.  22.  August  i,  1862.  Hunter,  N.  Y.  Transferred  to  V. 
R.  C.  September  I,  1863,  by  order  Secretary  Wrar.  Present  residence,  Wood 
land,  Ulster  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Sutton,  Francis  T.  34.  August  u,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Wounded  May  3, 
1863.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  September  30,  1863,  by  order  Secretary  War. 
Present  residence,  Schodack,  Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Smalling,  Lucius   K.     23.     August  2,   1862.     Hunter,  N.  Y.     Wounded  May  3, 

1863.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  November  15,  1863,  by  order  Secretary  War. 
Present  residence,  Cohoes,  N.  Y. 

Taylor,  Thomas  G.  23.  August  13,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Transferred  to  V. 
R.  C.  November  15,  1863,  by  order  Secretary  War.  Present  residence,  New 
York  city. 

Whittaker,  Francis.  27.  August  4,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Transferred  to  Y.  R. 
C.  by  order  Secretary  War. 

Begley,  Peter.  28.  February  16,  1864.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  72nd  June  20,  1864.  Transferred  to  73d  Regiment. 

Bullock,  George  W.  34.  December  25,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  Decem 
ber  30,  1863.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  Company  H,  7ist  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7, 

1864.  Detached  in  Ambulance  Corps.     Transferred  to  73d  Regiment. 
Boyer,  William  H.     18.     September  6,  1864.     Niagara,  N.  Y.     Substitute.  Trans 
ferred  to  73d  Regiment. 


286  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  F-Continued. 

TRANSFERRED  —  Continued. 

Doremus,  Thomas  J.  33.  February  14,  1864,  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  Company  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.  Transferred  to 
73d  Regiment. 

Farrell,  Patrick.  37.  December  10,  1863.  New  York  city.  Transferred  from 
Company  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.  Transferred  to  73d  Regiment. 

Hurley,  Isaac.  30.  September  2,  1864.  Pike,  N.  Y.  V.  V.  Promoted  to 
Corporal  January  1st,  1865.  Transferred  from  72nd  N.  Y.  V.  June  20,  1864. 
Transferred  to  73d  Regiment. 

Hugue,  Thomas.  40.  March  14,  1865.  New  York  city.  Recruit.  Transferred 
to  73d. 

Murphy,  John.  30.  December  21,  1864.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  72djune  20,  1864.  Transferred  to  73d  June  3,  1865. 

McGimty,  Michael.  45.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  72d  June  20,  1869.  Transferred  to  73d. 

McEnroe,  Nicholas.  28.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  72nd  Regiment,  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Platz,  Peter.  17.  March  12,  1864.  New  York  city.  Recruit.  Transferred 
from  Company  H,  7 1st  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Spenbeck,  Benjamin.  23.  November  30,  1863.  New  York  city.  -  Recruit. 
Transferred  from  Company  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.  Transferred  to 
73<*. 

Sheridan,  John.  26.  December  4,  1863.  New  York  city.  Recruit.  Trans 
ferred  from  Company  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Searle,  Milton.  29.  February  10,  1864.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  7151  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.  Detached  at  Army  head 
quarters.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Torphey,  Thomas.  26.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
December  25,  1863.  Promoted  to  Corporal  January  I,  1865.  Transferred 
from  72d  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Woodward,  Henry  C.  25.  March  16,  1864.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  Com 
pany  H,  7ist  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Rogers,  George  W.  Musician.  20.  December  25,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Va. 
V.  V.  Transferred  from  Company  H,  7ist  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.  Trans 
ferred  to  73d. 

Gorgas,  William  H.  Musician.  20.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Va. 
V.  V.  Transferred  from  Company  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864.  Trans 
ferred  to  73d. 

DIED. 

Burgess,  Addison  P.  25.  August  5,  1862.  Hunter,  N.  Y.  Died  at  camp  near 
Falmouth,  Virginia,  January  17,  1863. 

Brizie,  William  D.  42.  August  19,  1862.  Lexington,  N.  Y.  Died  at  camp 
near  Falmouth  April  n,  1863. 

Bell,  William  H.  21.  August  13,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Killed  at  Gettysburg 
July  2,  1863. 

Bray,  Milo.  24.  August  I,  1862.  Hunter,  N.  Y.  Died  at  general  hospital 
Georgetown,  D.  C. 

Chesley,  William  W.  18.  August  30,  1864.  Hector,  N.  Y.  Owego,  N.  Y. 
Died  at  Harewood  hospital,  Washington,  D.  C.,  February  16,  1865.  Substi 
tute. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N,  Y.S.    VOLS.  287 

COMPANY  F-Continued. 

DIED —  Continued. 

DurkinJohnH.  35  December  21,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  Decem 
ber  24,  1863.  V.  V.  Wounded  March  31,  1865.  Died  at  Armory  Square 
hospital,  Washington,  D.  C.,  April  25,  1865.  Transferred  from  Company  F 
72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20,  1864. 

Edwards  James.  31.  August  13,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Promoted  Corporal 
October  13.  1862.  Died  at  camp  near  Falmouth,  Va.,  January  28,  I86"1. 

Eignor,  Abram.  42.  August  14,  1862.  Lexington,  N.  Y.  Died  while  home  on 
sick  furlough  at  Shandaken,  N.  Y.,  June  2,  1863. 

Hotchkiss,  Orrin  W.  19.  August  14,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Killed  at  Gettys 
burg  July  2,  1863. 

Hall,  John  \V.       18.      January  26,  1864.      Cieremont,  N.  Y.      Died  at  David's 

Island  hospital  October  3,  1864.     Recruit. 
Hyde,  George  E.     18.     September  3,  1864.     Croton,  N.  Y.      Died  at  City  Point, 

Va.,  December  i,  1864.     Substitute. 
Irving,  James.     21.    August  29,  1862.    Brooklyn,  N.  Y.    Died   near  Petersburg, 

Va.,  from  wounds  September  27,  1864.      Transferred  from  Company  H,  fist 

N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864. 

Johnson,    David.     20.     January  26,  1864.    Jewett,    N.  Y.     Died   at  camp   near 

Falmouth,  Va.,  January  8,  1863. 
Longyear,  David.     20.     January  26,  1864.     Cieremont,  N.  Y.     Died  at  DeCamp 

general  hospital  August  25,  1864. 

Ostrander,  John  H.      28.      August  I,  1862.     Hunter,  N.  Y.      Died  at  Anderson- 

ville,  Ga.,  March  23,  1864. 
Peck,  Tennant  Jr.      44.      August  14,  1862.      Lexington,  N.  Y.      Died  at  camp 

near  Falmouth,  Va.,  December  i,  1862. 
Pond,  Dorlin  J.       18.      August  9,  1862.      Jewett,  N.  Y.      Killed  at  James  City, 

Va.,  October  16,  1863. 
Peck,  Lyman  P.     24.      August  8,  1862.      Jewett,   N.  Y.      Promoted  Corporal 

August  8,  1862.     Died  at  camp  near  Falmouth,  Va.,  January  14,  1863. 
Predmore,   Frelinghuysen.       18.      August  25,    1864.      Hector,    N.  Y.      Killed 

March  26,  1865.     Substitute. 
Pampherin,  William.      31.      January  23,  1864.      New  York  city.      Transferred 

from  Company  H,  7ist  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.     Died  at  Andersonville,  Ga., 

August  17,  1864. 
Rhodes,  William.      38.      August  15,  1862.      Catskill,  N.  Y.     Died  at  camp  near 

Falmouth,  Va.,  March,  1863. 
Kose,  William  H.      27.      July  26,  1862.       Promoted  to  Corporal  July  26,  1862. 

Killed  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863. 
Schermerhorn,  William  H.      23.      August  14,  1862.      Catskill,  N.  Y.       Died  at 

Andersonville,  Ga.,  July  12,  1864. 
Van  Loan,  George.     18.     August  u,  1862.      Catskill,  N.  Y.     Killed  at  Chancel- 

lorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863. 
Van  Dyke,  John.     Musician.     21.     August  18,  1862.     Catskill,  N.  Y.     Died  at 

Culpepper,  Va.,  September  27,  1863. 

DESERTED. 

Brizze,  Levi.     32.     August   19,   1862.     Lexington,   N.  Y.     Deserted   from   camp 

near  Fairfax  Seminary,  Va.,  October  9,  1862. 
Beach,  Asa.     24.     August  9,  1862.     Lexington,  N.  Y.     Deserted  from  camp  near 

Falmouth,  Va.,  December  25,  1862. 


250  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  F-Continued. 

DESERTED—  Continued. 

Benjamin,  George  W.  19.  August  12,  1862.  Hunter,  N.  Y.  Deserted  from 
Tilton  general  hospital,  Wilmington,  Del.,  July  5,  1864. 

Downey,  William.  20.  August  28,  1862.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Transferred  from 
Company  H,  yist  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.  Deserted  in  the  Wilderness,  Va., 
May  5,  1864. 

Faulkner,  George  W.  24.  August  8,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Promoted  Corporal 
August  8,  1862.  Deserted  from  camp  near  Fairfax  Seminary,  Va.,  September 
16/1862. 

Garrity,  John  W.  28.  February  14,  1864.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  Trans 
ferred  from  Company  F,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  June  20, 1864.  Deserted  near  Spottsyl- 
vania,  Va.,  May  10,  1864. 

Ham,  William.  33.  August  1 1,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Deserted  while  home 
on  furlough  March  15,  1863. 

Lake,  Richard.  30.  August  14,  1862.  Lexington,  N.  Y.  Deserted  from  camp 
near  Fairfax  Seminary  October  9,  1862. 

McCue,  Patrick.  36.  February  10,  1864.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  Trans 
ferred  from  Company  H,  '7 1st  N.  Y.  V.,  July  7,  1864.  Deserted  near 
Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  10,  1864. 

Nagel,  John.  18.  August  5,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Deserted  from  DeCamp 
*"  general  hospital  December  5,  1862. 

Powell,  James  D.  18.  August  14,  1862.  Lexington,  N.  Y.  Deserted  from 
camp  near  Fairfax  Seminary,  Va.,  September  17,  1862. 

Steward,  Robert.  39.  August  19,  1862.  Kingston,  N.  Y.  Deserted  in  New 
York  city  August  25,  1862. 

Tresch,  Louis.  18.  August  29,  1862.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Deserted  from 
DeCamp  general  hospital  December  10,  1864. 

Van  Valkenburg,  William  S.  21.  August  16,  1862.  Lexington,  N.  Y.  Deserted 
near  Wolf  Run  Shoals,  Va.,  November  24,  1862. 

Wiltsee,  Joseph  T.  22.  July  29,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  Deserted  near  Gettys 
burg  July  5,  1863. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH   N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  289 


COMPANY  G. 

Company  G  was  recruited  in  Saugerties  by  Captain  Scott  and  Lieu 
tenant  Russell,  and  was  filled  up  by  the  recruits  enlisted  by  Lieuten 
ant  Hyde  in  the  town  of  Lloyd.  It  left  Kingston  with  the  above 
named  officers  and  eighty-five  enlisted  men. 

Its  losses  from  the  original  members  were  : 

Killed  in  action  and  died  of  wounds,  officers i 

Killed  in  action  and  died  of  wounds,  men 15 

Died  prisoners  of  war 6 

Died  of  disease. 3 


Total  deaths  in  service 

There  were  discharged  for  physical  disability  : 

Enlisted  men J  2 

12 

Discharged  for  promotion 

Transferred,  etc, : 

Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps 7 

Deserted 3 

Mnstered  out  with  regiment  and  by  general  orders.  40         50 


It  received  by  transfer  from  other  companies  2  officers, 
recruits  5,  and  50  veterans  from  the  y2nd  Regiment. 

Of  the  additions  to  the  Company  : 

Killed  in  action  and  died  of  wounds. . 

Discharged 

Transferred 

Mustered  out  and  discharged  by  general  orders. . 

Total  enrollment 

19 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

COMPANY  G-Continued. 

CAPTAINS. 

Scott,  Walter  F.     August  19,  1862.     Kingston.     Promoted  to  Major  February  4, 

1865.     Died  at  Chapaultepec,  Mexico,  October  8,  1881. 

Swart,  Ira.  26.  July  28,  1862,  as  private.  Promoted  to  Corporal  August  31,, 
1862;  to  Sergeant,  February  3,  1863;  to  First  Sergeant,  July  I,  1863;  to  Sec 
ond  Lieutenant,  June  24,  1864;  to  First  Lieutenant,  December  31,  1864;  to 
Captain,  February  4,  1865.  Living  in  Saugerties,  N.  Y. 

t 
FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Russel!,  Edmund  Me  C.  August  19,  1862.  Kingston.  Appointed  Adjutant  May  1, 
1863;  Brevet  Captain,  U.  S.  V.  Died  January  14,  1874. 

Kimble,  Warren.  August  II,  1862.  Kingston.  Private,  Company  H.  Pro 
moted  to  Corporal  August  22,  1862;  to  Sergeant,  February  20,  1863;  to  Sec 
ond  Lieutenant.  December  I,  1864;  to  First  Lieutenant,  Company  G,  Febru 
ary  4,  1865.  Wounded  on  leg  and  scalp  October  27,  1804.  Living  in  Sauger 
ties,  N.  Y. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 

Hyde,  James  A.  August  19,  1862.  Kingston.  Promoted  to  First  Lieutenant 
May  I,  1863;  to  Captain,  Company  A,  May  21,  1864.  Wounded.  Living  at 
Marlborough,  N.  Y. 

Carle,  Jason.  24.  Promoted  from  First  Sergeant  to  Seqond  Lieutenant  May  I, 
1863.  Killed  at  Gettysburg,  Penn.,  July  2,  1863. 

Moffat,  John  S.  18.  Promoted  from  Sergeant  of  Company  F  to  Second  Lieuten 
ant  of  Company  C  February  4,  1865. 

FIRST  SERGEANTS. 

Deyo,  Silas  W.     18.     August  7,  1862.     Lloyd.     Discharged  to  receive  promotion 

to  Second  Lieutenant,  Company  D,  December  31, 1864.     Dead. 
Smith,  George  L.     21.     July  28,  1862.     Saugerties.     Promoted  to  First  Sergeant 

May  i,  1863.     Killed  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  2,  1863. 
Syrne,  Samuel.     34.     December  25,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     Promoted 

to  First  Sergeant  December  25,  1864.     Killed  at  Hatcher's  Run,  Va.,  March 

25,  1865. 

Wygant,  Marcelus.  21.  August  14,  1862.  Lloyd.  Promoted  from  Corporal  to 
Sergeant  July  I,  1863.  Taken  prisoner  at  James  City,  Va.,  October  10,  1863. 
Wounded  in  hip  March  31,  1865.  Promoted  to  First  Sergeant  April  1,  1865. 
Living  in  Saugerties. 

SERGEANTS. 

Deyo,  Hackaliah  B.     21.     August  7,  1862.     Lloyd.     Promoted  to  Sergeant  April 

1,  1865.     Dead. 

Edwards,  John  H.     21.     August  8,  1862.  Saugerties.     Killed  June  2,  1864. 

Reynolds,  Joseph.     18.     August  7,  1862.  Lloyd.     Wounded  at  Gettysburg  July 

2,  1862.     Wounded    May   6,    1864.  Promoted    from    Corporal.     Died    of 
wounds  received  February  5,  1865. 

Tate,    George.     23.     December    24,     1863.      Brandy   Station,   Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred  to  Non-Commissioned  Staff. 
Lyon,    Jacob.     20.     December    25,     1863.      Brandy    Station,    Virginia.     V.  V. 

Wounded  March  31,  1865.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 
Bailey,  Milo  V.     22.     December   24,    1863.     Brandy   Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

Detailed  as  Clerk  at  division  headquarters.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  6*.    VOLS.  2  Q  I 

COMPANY  G-Continued. 

SERGEANTS—  Continued. 

Reynolds,  Henry.  24.  February  14,  1864.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  Wounded 
in  action  March  25,  1865.  Mustered  out  in  accordance  with  General  Order 
No.  77,  from  War  Department,  A.  G.  O.,  April  28,  1865. 

CORPORALS. 

Teetsell,  Jeremiah.     21.     August  21,   1862.     Saugerties.     Promoted  to  Corporal 

February  25,  1863.     Living  at  Saugerties,  N.  Y. 
Smith,  William  H.     20.     August  21,  1862.     New  York  city.     Transferred  from 

72nd  N.  Y.  V.     Dead. 
Howley,  Patrick.     21.     August  21,   1862.     New  York   city.     Transferred   from 

72nd  N.  Y.  V.     Brooklyn. 
Wolven,  John  C.     25.     August    14,    1862.     Saugerties.     Promoted   to   Corporal 

April  I,  1865.     Wounded  June  16,  1864,  near  Petersburg.     Saugerties,  N.  Y. 
Hommel,  David  W.     19.     August  19,  1862.    .Saugerties.     Promoted  to  Corporal 

April  i,  1865.     Taken  prisoner  March  I,  1865.     Saugerties,  N.  Y. 
Wolven,    Ethan.     21.     August    12,    1862.     Saugerties.      Promoted   to  Corporal 

April  i,  1865.     Saugerties,  N.  Y. 
Teetsel,  Paul  S.     20.     August  7,  1862.     Saugerties.     Taken  prisoner  near  James 

City,  Va.,  October  10,  1863. 
Bowman,  Abram  V.     19.     December  25,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

Discharged  from  U.  S.  general  hospital  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability 

May  1 8,  1865. 
Walker,  James  K .     26.     August  12,  1862.     Saugerties.     Discharged  on  Surgeon's 

certificate  of  disability  February  10,  1863.     New  York  city. 
Schmidt,  George.     37.     August  13,  1862.     Sau<rerties.     WTounded  at  Gettysburg 

July   2,    1863.      Transferred   to   Veteran    Reserve   Corps   March    16,    1864. 

Saugerties,  N.  Y. 
Pelton,  Dennis.     18.     August  14,  1862.     Saugerties.     Killed  at  Gettysburg  July 

2,  1862. 

FIFER. 
Straub,  Albert.     31.     July  31,  1862.     Saugerties.     Living  at  Hunter,  N.  Y. 

DRUMMER. 

Van  Hoesen,  George  W.  18.  August  15,  1862.  Saugerties.  Living  at  Brook 
lyn,  N.  Y. 

PRIVATES. 
Adams,  Hoxie.     21.     August  II,  1862.      Lloyd,  N.  Y.      Transferred  to  V.jR.  C. 

April  6,  1864. 
Bleeker,  Stephen.     26.     August  14,  1862-     Lloyd.     Wounded  in  hand  in  Wilder- 

ness  May  5,  1864.     Taken  prisoner  March  31,  1865. 
Bevier,  Lewis  C.     18.     August  18,  1862.     Lloyd.     Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. 
Burritt,  Francis  J.      22.      August  22,  1862.      Saugerties.      Wounded  in  hip  at 

Chancellorsville,  Va.,  and  in  foot  at  Games'  Mill  May  31,  1864.     Saugerties. 
Barritt   Sylvester.     18.    August  4,  1862.    Saugerties.    Highwoods,  Ulster  county, 

N.'  Y. 
Barrows,  Frank.     19.     August  19,  1862.      Dunkirk.      Transferred  from  72nd  N. 

Y.  V.     Fort  Scott,  Kansas. 


2Q2  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  G-Continued. 

PRIVATES  —Continued. 

Bovven,  John.     23.     August  n,  1862.     Dunkirk.     On  detached  service  in  division 

supply  train.     Dunkirk,  N.  Y. 

Barber,  Isaac  W.      19.      August  9,  1862.      Saugerties.      Killed  at  Mine  Run  No 
vember  27,  1863. 
Bugbee,  Alfred  P.       18.      December  28,  1863.      Dunkirk.      Died  December  19, 

1864,  of  wounds  received  October  18,  1864. 

Barrett,  William.      18.      August  16,  1862.      Lloyd,  N.  Y.     Taken  prisoner  Octo 
ber  10,  1863. 
Bovvyer,  Edward.     19.     August  23,  1862.     Dunkirk.      Transferred  from  72nd  N. 

Y.      Dunkirk,  N.  Y. 

Burleigh,  Philip.     24.     February  10,  1864.      Brandy  Station,  Virginia.      Missing 
in  action  October  27,  1864.      To  be  mustered  out  in  accordance  with  General 

Order  No.  77  from  War  Department  A.  G.  O.  April  28,  1865. 
Cullen,  Lawrence.      23.      August  18,  1862.      Lloyd.     Dead. 
Calhoun,  Archibald.     22.     August  9,  1862.     Lloyd.     Taken  prisoner  October  10, 

1863.     Highland,  N.  Y. 
Carnwright,   George  E.      21.      August  14,   1862.     Saugerties.      Taken  prisoner 

October  10,  1863.     Wounded  in  right  arm  March  25,  1865.      Saugerties. 
Chapman,  Edwin.     18.     August  25,  1862.     Dunkirk.     Transferred  from  72nd  N. 

Y.  V.     Prisoner  March  31,  1865. 
Carle,  Lawrence.     21.    August  4,  1862.    Saugerties.    Taken  prisoner  October  10, 

1863.     Died  at  Anderson ville,  Ga.,  August  13,  1864. 
Coe,  Lewis.     23.      August   12,    1862.     Lloyd.      Discharged  from  U.  S.  general 

hospital  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability  May  10,  1865. 
Cole,  George  W.       18.      August  6,  1862.      Saugerties.      Discharged  from  U.  S. 

general  hospital  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability  January  — ,  1863.    West 

Saugerties. 

Dillon,  Lewis  M.     29.     August  7,  1862.     Lloyd.     Wounded  at  Gettysburg. 
Dunagan,  John  H.     32.     August  5,  1862.     Saugerties.     Shokan,  N.  Y. 
Dunn,  William.      20.       December  24,  1863.       Brandy  Station,  Virginia.       V.  V. 

Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  April  6,  1864. 
Deswald,  Patrick.     30.      December  31,  1863.      Brandy  Station,  Virginia.      V.  V. 

Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 
Duryea,  John  F.      21.      February  14,  1864.      Brandy  Station,  Virginia.      V.  V. 

Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 

Dillon,  William.     42.      December  25,  1863.      Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     Trans 
ferred  from  72nd  N.  Y.  V.     Killed  in  action  October  27,  1864. 
DuBois,  Charles  W.     18.     August  8,  1862.     Lloyd.     Missing  in  action  at  Gettys 
burg  July  2,  1863.     (Ezekiel  H.  Winter  of  Company  G,  i2Oth,  said  he  helped 

bury  C.  W.  DuBois  at  Gettysburg.) 
Errien,  Gottlieb.     22.     August  27,  1862.      Dunkirk.      Transferred  from  72110!  N. 

Y.  V. 
Frazine,  Charles  E.     27.     August  29,  1862.      Dunkirk.      Transferred  from  72nd 

N.  Y.  V. 
Flesher,  George.     19.      August  23,  1862.      Dunkirk.      Transferred  from  72nd  N. 

Y.  V.     Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Fisher,  Henry.     35.      August  16,  1862.      Lloyd.      Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  April 

6,  1864. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.          2Q3 

COMPANY  G-Continued. 

PRIVATES— Continued. 

Fiero,  Frederick  L.      21.       August  13,  1862.      Saugerties.      Deserted  from  U.  S. 

hospital  in  1863. 
Gatchell,  Orin  L.     31.     August  12,  1862.     Dunkirk.     Transferred  from  72nd  N. 

Y.  V. 

Griffin,  George  W.     21.     August  12,  1862.     Saugerties.     Shandaken,  N.  Y. 
Goetcheus,  Albert  E.     20.     August  19,   1862.     Lloyd.     Wounded  at  Gettysburg. 

Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  April  6,  1864. 

Hassenger,  Philip.     37.     August  13,  1862.     Saugerties.     Saugerties,  N.  Y. 
Horton,  Samuel  M.     18.     August  14,  1862.     Lloyd,  N.  Y. 
Harris,  Francis  E.     33.     August  23,  1863.     Dunkirk.     Transferred  from  72nd  N. 

Y.  V.     Detailed  as  guard  at  2nd  division  hospital. 
Holt,  William  I.     22.     August  18,   1862.     Dunkirk.     Transferred  from  72nd  N. 

Y.  V.     Hornellsville,  N.  Y. 
Horn,  George.     24.     Angust  15,  1862.     Dunkirk.     Transferred  from  72nd  N.  Y. 

V.     Taken  prisoner  March  31,  1865. 

Howe,  Ralph  P.  21.  August  27,  1862.  Dunkirk.  Transferred  from  72nd  N. 
Y.  V.  Wounded  June  ^o,  1864.  Leg  amputated.  Discharged  January  7, 
1865. 

Hallenbeck,  John  H.  36.  August  13,  1862.  Saugerties.  Taken  prisoner  at 
James  City,  Va  ,  October  10,  1863.  Died  in  Andersonville  prison  June  10, 
1864. 

Hanks,  Cyrus.    18.    August  6,  1862.    Saugerties.    Killed  in  action  October  5,1864. 
Hussey,  Edward.     38.     February   14,    1864.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     Killed 

in  action  October  27,  1864. 
Hornbeck,  Cornelius  C.     35.     August  6,    1862.     Saugerties.     Deserted  at  Wolf 

Run  Shoals,  Va.,  November  22,  1862. 

Johnson,  Charles.     18.     August  8,  1862.     Lloyd.     Wounded  at  Mine  Run  Novem 
ber  28,  1863,  and  November  6,  1864. 
Tohnson,  William.     28.     August  25,  1862.     Dunkirk.     Transferred  from  72nd  N. 

Y.  V. 
Tohnson    George.     25.     August  25,  1862.     Dunkirk.     Transferred  from  72nd  N. 

Y.  V. 
Jones,  Thomas  C.     23.     August  23,  1862.     Dunkirk.     Transferred  from  72nd  N. 

Y.  V.     Detailed  as  butcher  at  division  headquarters.     Dunkirk,  N.  Y. 
Johnson,  William  II .     24.     August  14,  1862.     Lloyd.     Killed  at  Gettysburg  July 

2,  1863. 
Kernan,  James.     18.     February    10,    1864.      Brandy   Station,   Virginia.      V.  V, 

Wounded  October  2,  1864.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 
Kelly,  Edward.     35.     August  8,  1862.     Saugerties,  N.  Y.     Killed  at  Gettysburg 

July  2,  1863. 
Lewis,   Chauncey.     18.     August   8,    1862.     Saugerties,    N.  Y.     Discharged   on 

Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability  December  16,  1862. 
Laughlin,  Joseph.     40.     December  24,   1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 
Lutze,    Philip.      25.      December   25,   1863.      Brandy    Station,   Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 

Moe,  Joseph.     39.     August  18,  1862.     Saugerties.     Wounded  at  Batth 
Anna  May  24,  1864.     Dead. 


294  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  G-Continued. 

PR  1  v  ATES—  Continued. 

Muller,  Walter  P.     19.     August  13,  1862.     Dunkirk.     Transferred  from  72nd  N. 

Y.  V.     Detailed  as  Clerk  at  2nd  division  hospital.     Corner  Canal  and  Seventh 

street,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
Mower,    Christopher  C.     19.     July   30,    1862.     Saugerties.     Taken   prisoner   at 

James  City  October  10,  1863. 
Mullin,    Peter.     41.     August    12,    1862.      Saugerties.      Wounded   at  Gettysburg 

July  2,  1863.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  December  12,  1864. 
Motto,   Simon.     39.     December   22,    1863.     Saugerties.     Recruit.     Wounded   in 

Wilderness  May  5,  1864.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V.     Dead. 
McGuire,   Hugh.     35.     February  14,   1864.      Brandy    Station,   Virginia.     V.  V. 

Wounded  October  27,  1864.     Leg  amputated.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 
Minard,  William  C.     19.     August   1 1,   1862.     Lloyd.     Died   at   Falmouth,  Va., 

February  28,  1863. 
Neil,  Lewis.     18.     August  11,  1862.     Lloyd.     Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate 

of  disability  November  21,  1863. 
Noonan,   Patrick.     32.     December  25,    1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 
Newkirk,   Manassa.      26.      August    u,     1862.     Saugerties,    N.    Y.      Killed    at 

Gettysburg  July  2,  1863. 
Neil,  Adam  H.     21.     August  II,  1862.     Lloyd.     Killed  at  Mine  Run  November 

27,   1863. 
O'Durrel,  George.     32.     August    II,   1862.     Dunkirk.     Transferred   from   72nd 

N.  Y.  V.  on  Military  railroad,  General  Orders  No.  43.     Dunkirk,  N.  Y. 
O'Neil,   William.     25.     February   14,    1864.      Brandy  Station,   Virginia.     V.  V. 

Lost  right  arm  in  action  October  2,  1864.     Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate 

of  disability  March  27,  1865. 
Palmateer,  Joseph  C.     21.     August  9,  1862.     Lloyd.     Discharged   on  Surgeon's 

certificate  of  disability  February  14,  1864. 
Purdy,   George  E.     23.     August  12,    1862.      Lloyd.      Discharged   on  Surgeon's 

certificate  of  disability  January  16,  1863. 
Plass,  Herman.     44.     August  5,  1862.     Saugerties.     Taken  prisoner,  James  City, 

October  10,  1863.     Died  in  Andersonville,  Ga.,  April  30,  1864. 
Quinlan,  Peter.     40.     August  I,  1862.     Kingston.     Taken  prisoner  at  James  City 

October  10,  1863.     Died  at  Andersonville,  Ga.,  April  30,  1864. 
Rease,    David.      25.      August   7,    1862.      Lloyd.      Detailed   as   Provost   Guard, 

division  headquarters. 

Rose,  Marquis  D.  L.     18.     August  11,  1862.     Lloyd.     Highland,  N.  Y. 
Rose,  John  H.     19.     February  18,  1864.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     Missing  in 

action   March   25,   1865.     To  be    mustered  out  in  accordance  with  General 

Orders  No.  77,  from  \Var  Department,  A.  G.  O.,  April  28,  1865. 
Richardson,  Frank  L.     24.     August  24,  1862.     Dunkirk.     Transferred  from  72nd 

N.  Y.  V. 
Richardson,  Charles  P.     20.     January  14,   1864.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V. 

V.     Wounded  March  8,  1865.     Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 
Rider,  John  W.     18.     August  29,   1862.     Dunkirk.     Killed   at   Hatcher's   Run 

March  25,  1865. 
Snyder,    Paul.     22.     August    12,    1862.     Saugerties.     Taken   prisoner   at  James 

City  October  10,  1863.     West  Saugerties. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2 96 

COMPANY  G-Continued. 

PR  I  VAXES— Continued. 

Shader    Abram.     22      August  22,   1862.     Saugerties.     Wounded  May  n,  1864, 
and  March  31,  1865.     Hurley,  N.  Y. 

Shader,  John.     19.     August.  4,   1862.     Saugerties.     Wounded  May  5,   1864    and 
March  25,  1865.     New  York  city. 

Sickles,    Robert   W      32.     August   12,    1862.      Saugerties.      Taken   prisoner  at 
James  City  October  10,  1863.     Saugerties. 

Smith    George  E.     19.     August  19,   1862.     Saugerties.     Detailed  to  Battery  K, 
4th  U.  b.  Artillery. 

Schoonmaker,  David  W.     21.     August  12,  1862.     Lloyd.     Dead. 

Skidmore,  Charles.     20.     August  13,   1862.     Dunkirk.     Transferred  from  72nd 

N.  Y.  V.     Detailed  to  Military  R.  R.,  General  Orders  No.  43. 
Stillman,_  Henry  C.     19.     July  19,  1862.     Dunkirk.     Transferred  from  72nd   N. 

Y.  V.     Detailed  as  Clerk  to  Medical  Department,  division  headquarters. 
Snyder,  Charles.     27.     August  12,  1862.     Saugerties.     Discharged  on  Surgeon's 

certificate  of  disability  February  9,  1863. 

Shaw,  Levi.     25.     December  30,    1863.      Saugerties.     Recruit.     Transferred   to 
73d  N.  Y.  V.     Saugerties,  N.  Y. 

•Smith,  Jacob.      27.      December   25,    1863.      Brandy   Station,    Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 
Taylor,    Lorenzo.     27.     August   9,    1862.     Saugerties.     Detailed   in   Battery  K, 

4th  U.  S.  Artillery.     Virginia. 
Teetsell,  Jeremiah  H.     28.     August  8,    1862.     Saugerties.     Wounded   in   hand. 

Quarry ville,  Ulster  Co.,  N.  V. 
Tobias,  Abram.     25.     August  8,  1862.     Lloyd.     Taken  prisoner  at  James  City, 

Va.,  October  10,  1863.     Died  at  Andersonville,  Ga.,  August  18,  1864. 
Teetsell,  Peter  W.     19.     August  9,  1862.     Saugerties.     Died  in  camp  near  Fal- 

mouth,  Va.,  April  5,  1863. 

Teetsell,  Solomon.     20.     August    n,    1862.     Saugerties.     Killed   at  Gettysburg 
July  2,  1863. 

Teetsell,  James  H.     25.     August  13,  1862.     Saugerties.     Died  in  hospital  Decem 
ber  24,  1864,  of  wounds  received  October  27,  1864. 

Teetsell,  Peter  J.     35.     August  i,  1862.     Saugerties.     Wounded  May  31,   1864. 
Thompson,  Frank  L.     29.     August  26,  1862.     Dunkirk.     Transferred  from  72nd 

Trask,  Henry  V.     25.     August  16,  1862.     Dunkirk.     Transferred  from  72nd  N. 

Y.  V.     Wounded  March  25,  1865. 
Turk,    Abram.      21.      August   6,   1862.      Saugerties.      Discharged   by  order  of 

Judge  J.  H.  McGunn  April  4,  1863.     Re-enlisted  in  Company  M,  2nd  N.  Y. 

M.  V.  December  29,  1863.     Taken  prisoner  June  6,  1864. 
Teetsell,  James   W.     18.     January  2,   1864.     Saugerties.     Recruit.     Transferred 

to  73d  N.  Y.  V. .  New  York  city. 
Van  Aken,  Elijah.     20.     August  4,  1862.     Saugerties.     Wounded  at  Gettysburg 

Julv  2,  1863.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  April  6,  1864.     Saugerties. 
Vandervoort,   James   H.     23.     August  II,  1862.     Lloyd.     Deserted   from   U.  S. 

general  hospital  in  1864. 
"Wilson,  Charles.     27.     September  2,  1862.     Dunkirk.     Transferred  from  72nd  N. 

Y.  V.     Detailed  as  nurse  in  U.  S.  general  hospital  to  Sidney  Wilson. 
Wilson,  Sidney.     18.     September  I,  1862.     Dunkirk.     \Vounded  at  Gettysburg. 

Both  legs  amputated. 


296  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  G-Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Wilbur,  Samuel  G.     19.     August  9,  1862.     Saugerties.     Taken  prisoner  at  James 

City,  Va.,  October  10,  1863.     Shandaken,  N.  Y. 
Walker,  James  R.     27.     January  4,  1864.     Saugerties.     Recruit.     Wounded  May 

5,  1864.     Missing  in  action  October  27,  1864. 
Winter,  William    H.     24.     August  9,    1862.     Saugerties.     Wounded   November 

27,  1863.     Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability  April  30,  1864. 

Died  February,  1870. 
Winter,  Ezekiel.     18.     August  19,  1862.     Saugerties.     Discharged  on   Surgeon's 

certificate  of  disability  March  12,  1863. 
Willis,  Percival.     42.     August  13,  1862.     Saugerties.     Discharged  on  Surgeon's 

certificate  of  disability  January  16,  1863. 
Winans,  James  W.     18.     August  II,  1862.     Saugerties.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

January  16,  1864.     New  York  city. 
Ward,   Patrick.      30.      February    14,    1864.      Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V.. 

Transferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 
Whitaker,  Sheldon  B.     22.     August  14,  1862.     Saugerties.     Died  in  hospital  in 

Alexandria  July  4,  1864,  of  wounds  received  June  2,  1864. 
Youngs,  John  V.  B.     21.     August  5,   1862.     Saugerties.     Detailed   as  Wagoner 

Brigade  supply  train.     West  Saugerties. 
Youngs,  George  E.     28.     August  7,  1862.     Saugerties.     Taken  prisoner  at  James 

City,  Va.,  October  10,  1863.     Dead. 
Youngs,  Peter  W.      18.     August   5,    1862.      Saugerties.      Died   in   hospital   at 

Brandy  Station,  Va.,  April  5,  1864,  of  typhoid  fever. 

NOTE. — When  date  of  discharge  is  not  given  in  this  Company,  the  soldiers  were- 
discharged  with  the  Regiment,  June  3,  1865. 


ONE   HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2Q7 


COMPANY  H. 

Company  H  was  raised  by  Captain  Charles  H.  McEntee  and  Lieu 
tenants  James  K.  Holmes  and  Michael  E.  Creighton.  It  was  mus 
tered  with  the  regiment  August  22nd,  1862,  with  the  above  named 
officers  and  eighty-six  enlisted  men. 

Its  losses  from  the  original  members  were  : 

Killed  in  action  and  died  of  wounds,  officers 4 

Killed  in  action  and  died  of  wounds,  men 6 

Died  prisoners  of  war 4 

Died  of  disease,  officers ! 

Died  of  disease,  men 5 


Total  deaths  in  service 21 

Tliere  were  discharged  for  physical  disability  : 

Discharged  for  disability 1 1 

ii 
Discharged  for  promotion i 

Transferred,  etc. : 

Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps 1 1 

Deserted g 

Served  to  close  of  war,  officers i 

Served  to  close  of  war,  men 37         58 


89 
Of  the  additions  to  the  Company  : 

Received  by  promotion,  other  companies,  officers. .       2 

Recruits  in  1 864 1 6 

Transferred  from  yist  and  y2nd  Regiments 45         63 


Total   enrollment 152 

Many  of  the  transferred  men  never  joined  the  company,  and  quite 
a  number  that  did  join  it  were  soon  discharged  by  expiration  of 
term  of  service.  Of  the  additional  number  of  men  received  three 
died  in  service. 


298  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  H-Continued. 

CAPTAINS. 

McEntee,  Charles  H.      20.      August  18,  1862.      Kingston.      December  21,  1862. 

A  gallant  and  promising  young  officer  stricken  with  brain  fever  and  died  at 

the  beginning  of  his  military  career  on  December  21,  1862,  at  Falmouth,  Va. 

His  remains  lie  in  Montrepose  Cemetery,  Rondout,  where  loving  parents  have 

erected  a  broken  colum  to  mark  his  resting  place. 
Holmes,  James  K.     30.     August  22,  1862.     Kingston.    June  3,  1865.     Promoted 

from  First  Lieutenant  December  21,  1862. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Creighton,  Michael  E.  27.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  July  2,  1863.  Pro 
moted  to  First  Lieutenant  December  21,  1862.  Fell  mortally  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  2,  1863,  while  bravely  cheering  his  men 
against  the  charge  of  Barksdale's  Mississippi  Brigade.  He  died  during  the 
night  and  was  buried  on  the  field.  His  remains  were  a  few  days  afterward 
removed  by  his  brother  and  re-interred  at  Hawley,  Pa. 

Lockwood,  John  J.  21.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  May  5,  1864.  Mustered 
as  Sergeant.  Promoted  to  First  Sergeant  October  6,  1862.  To  First  Lieu 
tenant  January  16,  1864.  Killed  at  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness  while  in  com 
mand  of  Company  K  and  buried  on  the  field. 

Carr,  Albert.  21.  July  23,  1862.  Kingston.  November  25,  1864.  Promoted 
from  Sergeant-Major  May  5,  1864.  Discharged  for  disability.  Residence, 
Kingston. 

Drake,  Marquis  M.  30.  January  30,  1865.  Dimwiddie,  Va.  V.  V.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd  N.  Y.  V.  as  Sergeant  to  Company  D.  Promoted  to  First 
Lieutenant  Company  H.  Residence,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 

Cockburn,  William  J.  29.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  July  22,  1863.  Mus 
tered  in  as  Commissary-Sergeant.  Promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant  December 
21,  1862.  Died  at  Harrisburgh  of  wounds  received  at  Gettysburg  July  2, 
1862. 

Dederick,  William  H.  23.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  September  20,  1864. 
Mustered  as  Sergeant.  Promoted  Second  Lieutenant  August  16,  1864.  Killed 
on  picket  line  in  front  of  Petersburg.  His  remains  were  sent  home  and  now 
lie  in  the  Reformed  Church  yard  at  Kaatsban,  N.  Y.  A  braver  soldier  or 
truer  patriot  was  not  in  the  service. 

Kemble,  Warren.  21.  August,  1862.  Kingston.  Promoted  to  Sergeant  from 
Corporal  February  n,  1863.  To. First  Sergeant  August  16,  1864.  To  Second 
Lieutenant  December  I,  1864.  To  First  Lieutenant  February  4,  1865,  and 
transferred  to  Company  G,  i2Oth  N.  Y.  V.  Residence,  Saugerties,  N.  Y. 

Hayes,  Eugene  F.  Second  Lieutenant.  Mustered  February  4,  1865.  Mustered 
into  service  as  private  August  22,  1862.  Promoted  to  Commissary-Sergeant 
February  11,  1863.  Promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant  February  4,  1865.  Resi 
dence,  New  York  city. 

SERGEANTS. 

Conway,  Andrew  J.  38.  July  28,  1862.  Kingston.  October  6,  1862.  Dis 
charged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability. 

Maxwell,  John  W.  27.  July  28,  1862.  Kingston.  Captured  October  10,  1863. 
Exchanged  prisoner.  Discharged  General  Order  77. 

De  La  Mater,  Charles  K.     23.     August  6,  1862.     Kingston.    June  3,  1865. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  2  99 

COMPANY  H-Continued. 

SERGEANTS—  Continued. 

Whittaker,  James  30.  July  23,  1862.  Kingston.  Promoted  to  Sergeant  Sep 
tember  20  1862.  Captured  October  10,  1863.  Wounded  December  13,  1862. 
Discharged  General  Order  No.  77,  1865. 

Myers,  Bartholomew  T.  19.  August  26,  1862.  Dunkirk,  N.  Y.  June  3  1865 
i  ransferred  from  72nd  Regiment  June  20,  1864.  Promoted  to  Sergeant  Jan 
uary  I,  1865. 

Torrey    Edwin  H.     28.     December  23,  1863.      Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     1865. 
o'c     rransferred  from  72nd  Regiment.     Promoted  to  First  Sergeant  March 

I,  1865.     Captured  March  25,  1865.     Discharged  General  Order  No.  77. 
Ross,  Orville  A.     21.     December  24,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     February 

3,1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd  Regiment  June  20,  1864.    Promoted 

to  Second  Lieutenant  Company  K. 

Weaver,  Jacob.  23.  August  n,  1862.  Kingston.  January  12,  1863.  Pro 
moted  from  Corporal  October  20,  1862.  Died  at  Falmouth,  Va. 

Reisenberger,  George  C.  18.  August  12,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865. 
Promoted  to  Corporal  January  I,  1865.  To  Sergeant  February  4,  1865. 

Smith,  George  B.  21.  August  9,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  186;.  Promoted 
to  Sergeant  May  I,  1865. 

Tappen,  Hiram  R.  22.  August  15,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Pro 
moted  to  Sergeant  June  16,  1864.  To  Commissary- Sergeant  February  4, 
1865. 

Cram,  Augustus.  26.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  March 
26,  1865.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd.  Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certfi- 
cate. 

CORPORALS. 

Fox,  William.     21.     August  7,  1862.     Kingston.      February  6,  1864.     Wounded 

at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
DeWitt,  Andrew  N.     38.     August  2,  1862.     Kingston.     July  2,  1863.     Killed  at 

Gettysburg. 

Goetcheus,  Benjamin  F.  22.  July  23,  1862.  Kingston.  February  13,  1864. 
Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability. 

Conklin,  Elijah.  35.  August  14,  1862.  Promoted  to  Corporal  February  1 1, 
1863.  Captured  October  10,  1863.  Exchanged  prisoner  at  Vicksburg.  Dis 
charged  General  Order  77. 

Snyder,  Peter.  18.  August  6,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted  to 
Corporal  February  4,  1865. 

Jones,  Charles  W.  23.  August  13,  1862.  Kingston.  March  16,  1864.  Trans 
ferred,  to  V.  R.  C. 

Garrison,  Malachi.  26.  August  II,  1862.  Kingston.  August  29,  1863.  Dis 
charged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability. 

Maloney,  Patrick.  23.  August  24,  1862.  Dunkirk,  N.  Y.  Transferred  from 
72nd  Regiment.  Wounded  March  25,  1865.  In  hospital.  Discharged  Gen 
eral  Order  No.  77. 

Pickard,  Melvine  E.  18.  August  9,  1862.  Dunkirk,  N.  Y.  June  3,  1865. 
Transferred  from  72nd  Regiment. 

Boy ne,  John.  19.  February  1 6,  1864.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  June  I,  1865. 
V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd  Regiment.  Wounded  November  5,  1864. 
Transferred  to  73d  Regiment. 


3OO  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.S.  VOLS. 

COMPANY  H-Continued. 

CORPORALS— Continued. 

Bundy,  James  E.     19.     December  25,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June  I, 

1865.      V.   V.      Transferred  from  7 1st  Regiment.      Prompted  to  Corporal 

April  i,  1865.     Transferred  to  73d  Regiment. 
Homer,  Eugene  L.     22.     December  24,  1865.      Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June 

I,  1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d  Regiment. 
Stafford,  Austin.     24.       December  25,  1863.      Brandy  Station,  Virginia.      V.  V. 

Transferred  from  72nd  Regiment.      Captured  March  25,  1865.      Exchanged 

prisoner  at  Annapolis,  Md. 
Lacey,  John.      25.      August   13,  1862.      Kingston.      Deserted  from  hospital  at 

Philadelphia  August  31,  1863. 

MUSICIANS. 

Kelly,  Richard.     14.      November  I,  1862.      Alexandria,  Va.      Transferred  from 

7ist  Regiment.     Discharged  General  Order  77. 
Barber,  George.     19.     August  5,  1862.     Kingston.     April  16,  1863.    Discharged 

on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability. 
Zincke,  Charles.       18.      August  12,  1861.      New  York  city.      August  12,  1864. 

Transferred  from  72nd  Regiment. 
Stienringer,  George,       18.      August  12,  1862.      Kingston.     Transferred  to  Non- 

Commissioned  Staff  May  I,  1864. 
Fairbanks,  John  W.     16.     February  16,  1864.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred  from  72nd  Regiment.     Transferred  to  73d  Regiment. 

PRIVATES. 

Arrold,  Jacob  J.  25.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Served  two 
years  in  Battery  K,  4th  N.  Y.  Artillery.  Residence,  Glasco,  N.  Y. 

Abernethy,  James.  39.  January  18,  1865.  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  April  16, 
1865.  Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability. 

Ashford,  John  (,).  40.  September  3,  1864.  Rochester,  N.  Y.  June  3.  Cap- 
tured  March  25,  1865.  Exchanged. 

Borley,  John.  25.  July  24,  1862.  Kingston.  October  28,  1865.  Discharged 
on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability. 

Brown,  Lewis  T.  L.  20.  February  24,  1864.  Ashford,  N.  Y.  June  I,  1865. 
Transferred  from  72nd  Regiment.  Transferred  to  73d  Regiment. 

Bunton,  Andrew  N.  20.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  January  I,  1864.  Dis 
charged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability. 

Brophy,^  Patrick.  30.  July  23,  1862.  Kingston.  April  20,  1863.  Discharged 
on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability. 

Baker,  Henry.  24.  Dacember  25,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  June  I, 
1865.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd  Regiment.  Transferred  to  73d  Regi 
ment. 

Brown,  William  H.  18.  September  5,  1864.  Rochester,  N.  Y.  June  I,  1865. 
Wounded  March  25,  1865.  Transferred  to  73d  Regiment. 

Burns,  John.  27.  December  25,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  June  I,  1865. 
V.  V.  Transferred  from  7 1st.  Transferred  to  73d. 

^iggs»  James.  26.  January  24,  1864.  New  York  city.  June  I,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  7ist  July  7,  1864.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Brown,  Daniel  E.  24.  July  31,  1862.  Kingston.  September  28,  1864.  Died 
at  City  Point,  Va. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.S.   VOLS.  30  I 

COMPANY  H-Continued. 

PR  I  v  ATES— Continued. 

Bundy,  North.  18.  February  i,  1865.  Kingston.  Tune  I,  1865.  Transferred 
to  73d  Regiment. 

Butterfield,  Joseph  W.     18.     February  4,  1864.     Ashford,  N.  Y.     December   17 

1864.  Transferred  from  72nd  Regiment  June  20,  1864.     Wounded  October 
16,  1864.     Died  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  of  wound. 

Casey,  John.     18.     August  2,   1862.     Kingston.     November  3,    1864.     Died    at 

City  Point,  Va.,  November  3,  1864. 
Cogswell,  John.     30.     August  18,  1862.     Kingston.     Captnred  October  10,  1863. 

Exchanged  prisoner  at  Annapolis,  Md. 
Cockfair,    Charles   E.      36.      August    14,    1862.     Kingston.     Received   furlough 

February  21,  1863.     Never  returned  to  regiment. 
Cogswell,  William  H.     22.     August  9,   1862.     Kingston.     May  3,  1863.     Killed 

at  the  Battle  of  Chancellorsville,  Va. 
Conklin,  Arcs  J.     27.     August    14,    1862.     Kingston.     Captured   May  6,    1864. 

Exchanged  prisoner.     Discharged  under  General  Orders  No.  77. 
Christiana,  Matthew.       19.      August  6,  1862.      Kingston.      November  27,  1863. 

Killed  at  the  Battle  of  Payne's  Farm. 

Crook,  James.     19.     August  19,  1862.     Kingston.     Deserted  January  25,  1863. 
Doyle,  James.     30.     August   14,  1862.     Kingston.     August  5,   1864.     Captured 

October  10,  1863.     Died  at  Andersonville,  Ga. 
Dewey,  Ira.     22.     August  6,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865.     Wounded  before 

Petersburg,  Va.,  June  17,  1864. 
Downs,  Patrick.     18.     August  23,  1862.     Dunkirk,  N.  Y.    June  3,  1865.     Trans- 

ferred  from  72nd  Regiment  June  20,  1864. 
DuPuy,  Ira.     24.     February  28,  1864.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June  3,  1863. 

V.  V.     Transferred  from  7ist.     Captured  October  26,  1865.     Exchanged. 
Dougherty,  Thomas.     26.     December  25,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.    June 

3,1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  7 1 st. 
DuBois,  Peter   D.     19.     October  20,   1861.     New  York  city.     October  20,  1864. 

Transferred  from  87th  Regiment  September    12,   1862.     Expiration  term   of 

service. 
DuBois.  Robert.     18.     December  25,   1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June  3, 

1865.  V.  V.     Transferred  from  7 1st.     * 

Eighmey,  Peter.     21.     August  12,  1862.     Kingston.     Deserted  May  6,  1864. 

Ennist,  Wilson.     23.     August  12,  1862.     Kingston.     Deserted  September  1 1,  1862. 

Edwards,  Morris.  19.  December  25,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  7ist  Regiment  July  7,  1864. 

Fountain,  Jeremiah.  30.  August  26,  1862.  Dunkirk.  June  3,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd  June  20,  1864. 

Fox,  John.  22.  August  7,  1862.  Kingston.  April  28,  1863.  Transferred  to 
V.  R.  C. 

Farr,  William  C.  21.  August  6,  1862.  Kingston.  March  6,  1863.  Died  at 
Fal mouth,  Va. 

Ferris,  Samuel.  32.  December  24,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd  as  absent,  sick;  never  returned. 

Frisch,  William.     36.     September  13,  1864.     Avon.     Exchanged  prisoner  of  war. 

Garrison,  Weyant.     21.     August  II,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 

Harris,  Edward  H.  20.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  Injured  by  falling  tree 
February  8,  1865.  In  hospital. 


jO2  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  H-Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Hazzard,  Henry.     34.     August  5,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 

Hicks,  Egbert.     33.     August  7,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 

Hanley,John.     22.     August  22,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 

Hall,  Edmund.  25.  August  12,  1862.  Kingston.  April  8,  1864.  Discharged 
on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability. 

Hayes,  Joel  N.  18.  July  28,  1862.  Kingston.  March  15,  1864.  Transferred 
to  V.  R.  C.  Died  November  4,  1892,  at  Kingston,  N.  Y. 

Hobart,  William.  1 8.  December  29,  1863.  Harmony.  June  i,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd.  Transferred  to  730!. 

Hoskins,  Everitt  L.  18.  December  22,  1863.  Harmony.  June  I,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  to  73d. 

Hall,  Jacob.  September  9,  1864.  Transferred  from  71  st  July  7,  1864.  Died  at 
David's  Island. 

Harris,  Morgan  L.     22.     August  7,  1862.     Kingston.     Deserted  July  2,  1862. 

Hertinstein,  Christian.  27.  July  16,  1861.  Dunkirk.  July  16,  1864.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd  Regiment  June  20,  1864.  Expiration  term  of  service. 

Hess,  George.  23.  August  5,  1861.  Kingston.  August  5,  1864.  Transferred 
from  7 1st  Regiment  July  2,  1864.  Expiration  time  of  service. 

Haffy,  Cornelius.  30.  May  2,  1861.  Kingston.  January  21,  1864.  Trans 
ferred  from  7 1st  Regiment.  Sentenced  by  general  court  martial  to  six  months 
and  four  days  service  lost  by  desertion.  Discharged  by  expiration  of  term. 

Imhoff,  Adam.  20.  July  25,  1862.  Kingston.  March  15,  1864.  Transferred 
to  V.  R.  C. 

Johnson,  James  B.  25.  December  25.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  January  10, 
1865.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Johnson,  Allen  H.  22.  August  27.  Dunkirk.  June  3,  1865.  Transferred 
•from  72nd  Regiment  October  31,  1864. 

Jenkins,  James.     18.     August  30.     Avon.     June  3,  1865. 

Jennings,  Elijah.  35.  August  1 1,  1862.  Kingston.  July  2,  1863.  Killed  at 
the  Battle  of  Gettysburg. 

Kniffin,  William  H.     21.     July  29,   1862.     Kingston.     Wounded  May  31,   1864. 

In  general  hospital.     Discharged  under  General  Orders  No.  77. 
Keegan,   Thomas  E.     38.     September  3,    1862.     New   York   city.     Transferred 

from  7 1st.     Absent  since  transfer. 

Kerr,  John.     26.    July  28,  1862.     Kingston.     Deserted  July  2,  1863. 
Lown,  John  W.     18.     July  31,  1862.     Kingston.     Wounded  May  31,   1864,  and 

March  25,  1865.     In  hospital.     Discharged  under  General  Orders  No.  77. 
Lewis,   Jeremiah.     23.     August   6,    1862.     Kingston.     July    5,    1863.      Died   at 

Alexandria,  Va. 

Lawler,  John.  22.  August  25,  1862.  Dunkirk.  June  3,  1865.  Transferred 
from  72nd  Regiment. 

Lyhan,  John.  42.  July  4,  1864.  Dunkirk.  June  3,  1865.  Transferred  from 
72nd  Regiment.  Wounded  April  6,  1865. 

Lindsley,  Nelson  E.  20.  August  6,  1862.  Kingston.  October  16,  1864.  Dis 
charged  to  accept  promotion. 

McLoud,  Francis.  33.  August  n,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Wounded 
at  the  Battle  of  Chancellorsville  May  3,  1863. 

McNamara,  George.  18.  August  25,  1862.  Dunkirk.  June  3,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd  Regiment. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N,  Y.S.    VOLS.  30^ 

COMPANY  H-Continued. 

PRIVATES—  Continued. 

McAlear    Charles.      18.      August  9,    1862.     Dunkirk.    June   3.    1865      Trans 
ferred  from  72nd  Regiment. 


,  :864. 

McDonald,  Edward.     31.     February  4,  1864.     Kingston. 
McKenna,  Niel.     32.     August  14,  1862.     Kingston.     Deserted.    July  2    186- 
Myers^William  M.     18.     August  5,  1862.     Deserted   from   hospital  January'iS, 

Moul,  Ira.     18.     August  7,  1862.     Kingston.     Deserted  June  15,  1863. 
Miller,    Peter.     23.     September   3,    1864.      Alexandria,   N.   Y.     June    i     186=; 
1  ransferred  to  73d  Regiment. 

More,  James.  32.  February  25,  1865.  Kingston.  June  I,  1865.  Transferred 
to  73d  Regiment. 

Myers,  Edgar  C.  24.  August  18,  1862.  Kingston.  May  12,  1863.  Died  at 
Potomac  Cieek,  Va. 

Maloney,   Cornelius.     20.     August   7,    1862.     Dunkirk.     June  3    1865.     Trans 

ferred  from  72nd  Regiment. 
Murphy,  Timothy.    28.    August  15,  1862.    Kingston.    April  30,  1863.    Returned 

to  7  1st  Regiment  as  a  deserter  from  that  regiment. 

Member,  George  S.  40.  August  9,  1862.  Kingston.  September  I  186^5 
Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Near,  Sylvester.     38.     July  23,  1862.     Kingston.     May  i,  1864.     Transferred  to 

O'Reilly,  John.  19.  December  25,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  June  I, 
1865.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  7ist  Regiment.  Transferred  to  73d  Regi 
ment. 

Porter,  George.     32.     January  5,  1865.     Kingston.     June  I,  1865.     Absent,  sick. 

Transferred  to  73d  Regiment. 
Perkins,   Pizarro.     23.     December  24,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred   from    72nd   Regiment.      Taken   prisoner   March   25,    1865,    at 

Elmira,  N.  Y. 

Reddenberry,  William.  27.  August  23,  1862.  Dunkirk.  Transferred  from  72nd. 
Attached  to  Battery  K,  4th  N.  Y.  Artillery. 

Ruton,  Cornelius.      36.      September  3,  1862.      New  York  city.      June  3,  1865. 

Transferred  from  7  1st. 
Randall,  Uriah  S.      August  24,  1862.      Dunkirk.      June  3,  1865.      Transferred 

from  72nd. 
Robinson,  Charles  A.     32.     August  14,  1862.      Kingston.      September  12,  1863. 

Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
Rowan,  Henry.     27.      February  10,  1865.      Kingston.      June  I,  1865.      Trans 

ferred  to  73d  Regiment. 
Rodamer,  Chauncey  F.      43.      August  18,  1862.     Kingston.      October  10,  1863. 

Captured  October  10,  1863.     Died  at  Andersonville. 
Roots,  William  F.     21.      August  4,  1862.      Kingston.    July  7,  1864.      Captured 

October  10,  1863.     Died  at  Andersonville. 
Rodgers,  Orville  P.     18.     August  29,  1864.      Avon.      November  9,  1864.      Sub 

stitute.     Killed  in  action  front  of  Petersburg. 


3O4  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  H-Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Slater,  William.  32.  July  28,  1862.  Kingston.  July  2,  1863.  Killed  in  action 
at  Gettysburg. 

Slater,  John.  38.  August  16,  1862.  Kingston.  April  23,  1864.  Captured 
October  10,  1863.  Died  at  Andersonville. 

Smith,  Leonard.  24.  August  18,  1862.  Kingston.  Deserted  from  hospital 
August  31,  1864. 

Schivykardt,  Philip.  34.  August  30,  1864.  Avon.  June  I,  1865.  Substitute. 
Wounded  October  26,  1864.  Transferred  to  73d  Regiment. 

Struse,  Frederick.  24.  February  2,  1865.  Kingston.  June  I,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  to  73d  Regiment. 

Sickler,  Victor  S.  30.  August  15,  1862.  Kingston.  Sentenced  by  general 
court  martial  to  serve  until  October  24,  1866,  on  one-half  pay  to  make  good 
time  lost  by  desertion.  Transferred  to  73d  Regiment. 

Story,  Lewis  M.  18.  December  22,  1863.  Ellington.  Transferred  from  72nd 
Regiment.  In  general  hospital,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Snyder,  Henry.  21.  August  6,  1862.  Kingston.  February  15,  1864.  Trans 
ferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Sickler,  Cyrus.  24.  August  4,  1862.  Kingston.  February  27,  1863.  Dis 
charged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability. 

Sickler,  Ezra.  21.  August  18,  1862.  Kingston.  September  I,  1864.  Dis 
charged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability. 

Snooks,  Emery  W.     26.     August  12,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 

Smith,  James.     32.     August  18,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 

Slauson,  Ira  M.  31.  August  26,  1864.  Avon.  June  3,  1865.  Substitute  for 
one  year. 

Sheeley,  George  W.  18.  September  3,  1864.  Rochester.  June  3,  1865.  Sub 
stitute  one  year. 

Trudden,  John.  20.  August  12,  1862,  Kingston.  July  2,  1863.  Killed  in 
action  at  Gettysburg. 

Taylor,  George.     20.     August  8,  1862.     Kingston.     Deserted  July  2,  1863. 

Thayer,  Ruben  E.  19.  February  3,  1864.  Ellicott.  June  3,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  73d  Regiment. 

Toner,  Frederick.  35.  December  31,  1864.  Chautauqua.  June  3,  1865. 
Transferred  from  72nd  Regiment. 

Todd,  Edward.  40.  December  29,  1863.  Dunkirk.  Transferred  from  72nd 
Regiment.  Sick  at  general  hospital. 

Terwilliger,  James  H.  20.  January  15,  1864.  Transferred  from  87th  Regiment. 
Wounded  July  2,  1863.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Van  Wart,  Frederick.     21.     August  6,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 

Van  Buren,  Hiram.  27.  August  7,  1862.  Kingston.  Wounded  May  31,  1864. 
In  hospital.  Discharged  under  General  Order  77. 

Van  Aiken,  Christopher  C.  24.  August  13,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865. 
Wounded  May  5,  and  November  29,  1864. 

Vetter,  David.     21.     August  22,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 

Wood,  William  S.  21.  August  8,  1862.  Kingston.  Captured  October  lo, 
1863,  at  Annapolis.  Prisoner.  Exchanged. 

Wirtner,  Baldas.  38.  August  24,  1862.  Dunkirk.  June  3,  1865.  Transferred 
from  72nd  June  20,  1864. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH   N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  30 5 

COMPANY  H-Continued. 

PRIVATES— Continued. 

Winter,  Theodore.  39.  August  23,  1862.  Dunkirk.  Transferred  from  72nd 
Regiment.  Absent,  wounded. 

Wirtner,  Martin.  40.  August  22,  1862.  Dunkirk.  October  19,  1864.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd.  Discharged  for  disability. 

Williams,  David.  30.  August  n,  1862.  Kingston.  April  20,  1863.  Dis 
charged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability. 

Wonder,  George  H.  21.  August  12,  1862.  Kingston.  January  n,  1864. 
Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Yates,  Charles  M.  21.  July  23,  1862.  Kingston.  January  II,  1864.  Trans 
ferred  to  V.  R.  C. 


20 


3O6  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 


COMPANY  I. 

Company  I  was  recruited  in  Kingston  by  Francis  W.  Reynolds, 
and  was  known  as  the  Havelock  Company.  Its  first  officers  were  : 
Captain  Francis  W.  Reynolds,  First  Lieutenant  Alexander  Austin, 
and  Second  Lieutenant  John  S.  Burhans.  Captain  Reynolds  was 
wounded  at  Chancellorsville  so  severely  that  he  was  unable  to  remain 
in  the  service.  Lieutenant  John  B.  Krom  of  Company  C  was  pro 
moted  to  Captain  and  had  command  until  disabled  by  a  wound. 
Lieutenant  A.  M.  Barber,  formerly  of  Company  B,  was  promoted  to- 
Captain  and  commanded  it  until  its  muster  out.  First  Lieutenant 
Austin  was  discharged  for  physical  disability  and  Second  Lieutenant 
Burhans  was  killed  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.  The  Company  was  mustered 
in  United  States  service  with  three  commissioned  officers,  and  ninety- 
one  enlisted  men. 

Its  losses  from  the  original  membees  were  : 

Killed  in  action  and  died  from  wounds,  officers .  i 

Killed  in  action  and  died  from  wounds,  men 12 

Died  prisoners  of  war,  enlisted  men 7 

Died  of  disease 7 


Total  deaths  in  service 27 

There  were  discharged  for  physical  disability  : 

Officers 2 

Men 13 

1 5 
Discharged  for  promotion,  enlisted  men 2 

Transferred,  etc.  : 

Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps 7 

Transferred  to  Signal  Corps i 

Deserted : 7 

Mustered  out  by  general  orders 35         50 


Carried  forward 94 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  I-Continued. 

Brought  forward 94 

It  received  by  traasfer  from  other  companies  4  officers. 
On  the  muster  out  of  the  yist  and  72nd  Regiments  in 
Jnly,  1864,  the  men  of  those  regiments  whose  terms  of 
enlistment  had  not  expired  were  transferred  to  the  i2Oth 
Regiment.  Company  I  received  42,  and  also  received 
19  recruits.  Many  of  the  transferred  men  never  joined 
the  company,  being  absent  sick  or  on  detached  service. 

Of  the  additions  to  the  Company  : 

Killed  in  action  and  died  from  wounds 5 

Died  of  disease 3 

Discharged  for  physical  disability,  officers 2 

Discharged  for  physical  disability,  men. 8 

Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps i 

Transferred  to  73rd  Regiment,  .N.  Y.   Y 24 

Deserted i 

Mustered  out  by  general  orders,  officers i 

Mustered  out  bv  general  orders,  men 18         63 


Total  enrollment 157 

CAPTAINS. 

Reynolds,  Francis  W.  24.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  October  14,  1863. 
Discharged  on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability  from  wounds  received  at 
Chancellorsville  May  3,  1863.  Died  at  Kingston  April  20,  1870. 

Krum,  John  B.  22.  .  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  October  19,  1864.  Pro 
moted  from  First  Lieutenant  Company  C.  Discharged  by  special  order  354 
War  Department  for  wounds  received  in  action.  Residence,  High  lalls, 
N.  Y. 

Barber,  Ambrose  M.  21.  July  23,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted 
from  private  Company  B  to  Sergeant  November  I,  1863.  To  Sergeant- 
Major  May  5,  1864.  Second  Lieutenant  Company  B  August  16,  1864.  lo 
Captain  Company  I  February  4,  1865.  Residence,  Brooklyn,  N.  \  . 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Austin,  Alexander.  24.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  October  7,  1863.  Dis 
charged  for  physical  disability.  Wounded  at  Gettysburg. 

Brooks,  Thaddeus  C.  22.  July  18,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Pro 
moted  from  Sergeant  Company  A  to  Second  Lieutenant  June  24,  1804,  in 
Company  A.  To  First  Lieutenant  Company  I. 


3o8 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 


COMPANY  I-Continued. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 

Burhans,John  R.  25.  August  22,  1862.  Kingston.  Killed  in  action  at  Gettys 
burg  July  2,  1863.  Buried  at  Kingston,  N.  Y. 

Rider,  Albert  E.  20.  July  23,  1862.  Kingston.  Promoted  from  Corporal  Co. 
B.  Discharged  October  8,  1864,  Special  Order  No.  338,  A.  G.  O.,  Wai- 
Department.  Residence,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Cook,  Philander.  25.  December  21,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  June  3, 
1865.  Transferred  from  Company  G,  82nd  N.  Y.  V.,  July  24,  1864,  as 
Corporal.  Promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant  February  20,  1865. 

FIRST  SERGEANTS. 

Johnston.  Eugene  C.  20.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  Captured  at  James 
City  Octobdr  10,  1863.  Promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant.  Not  mustered. 
Discharged,  under  General  Orders  No.  77.  Residence,  Albany. 

SERGEANTS. 

Jackson,  James  G.  23.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  March  7,  1863.  Dis 
charged  for  physical  disability.  Residence,  Kingston,  N.  Y. 

DuBois,  Lewis  A.  23.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  Discharged  August  16, 
1864,  to  receive  commission  in  Company  E. 

Bussimer,  Louis.  30.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Residence, 
Kingston,  N.  Y. 

Fisk,  Charles  W.  26.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Residence, 
Jersey  City,  N.  J. 

Hale,  Wilbur  L.  22.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted 
from  Corporal  March  7,  1863.  Was  wounded  in  right  hand,  right  cheek  bone 
and  left  hip  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Captured  at  James  City  October 
10,  1863.  Exchanged  October  20,  1864.  Acting  Sergeant-Major  from  May 
15,  1865,  until  return  and  muster  out  of  regiment.  Residence,  Rondout,  N.  Y. 

Edson,  Henry  W.  29.  December  21,  1863.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  Company  G,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  July  24,  1864.  Transferred  to 
73d  N.  Y.  V.  June  i,  1865. 

CORPORALS. 

Delanoy,  James  M.  25.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  Killed  in  action  at 
Gettysburg  July  2,  1863. 

Myer,  Gilbert.  20.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  i  Killed  in  action  at  Gettys 
burg  July  2,  1863. 

Barnes,  Josiah  D.  20.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  Killed  in  action  at  Gettys 
burg  July  2,  1863. 

Delamater,  William  P.  20.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  Died  in  Division  hos 
pital,  Falmouth,  Va.,  January  28,  1863,  of  typhoid  fever. 

Mead,  Edgar  H.     21.     August  18,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 

Lewis,  Egbert.  20.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted  to 
Corporal  August  25,  1864.  Residence,  Rondout,  N.  Y. 

Roosa,  John  P.  24.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  \Vounded 
May  3,  1863,  and  May  5,  1864,  and  March 31,  1865.  Residence,  Hurley,  N.  Y. 

Bishop,  Ellis  H.  20.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  Severely  wounded  March 
25,  1865.  Died  at  Rondout,  N.  Y. 

Hart,  Griffin  A.  21.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  \Vounded  at  Chancellors- 
ville  May  3,  1863.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  March  16,  1864.  Residence, 
Kingston,  N.  Y. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  3°9 

COMPANY  I-Continued. 

CORPORALS—  Continued. 

Weaver,    George   W.     21.     July   23,    1862.     Kingston.     Promoted  January   10, 

1863.     Wounded    at   Chancellorsville   May  3,  1863.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

May  31,  1864.     Died  at  Kingston  July  14,  1883. 
Carle,  Ezra.     21.     August  14,   1862.     Kingston.     Detailed  to  Ambulance  Corps 

February,  1863.     Taken  prisoner  at  Mine  Run,  Va.     Discharged  under  Gen 

eral  Orders  No.  77. 
Servoss,  Norman  W.     22.     August  24,  1862.     Dunkirk,  N.  Y.     Transferred  from 

Company   G,    72nd   N.  Y.  V.,  July  24,  1864.     Promoted   March    I,    1865. 

Wounded  and  in  general  hospital. 
Barrows,  Alvin  E.     20.     December  21,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred  from  Company  G,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  July  24,  1864.     Transferred  to 

73d  Regiment,  N.  Y.  V.,  June  I,  1865. 
Hanchett,  James  H.     23.     December  21,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred   from  Company  G,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.     Transferred  to  73d  IS.  V  .  V. 

Died  at  Waverly,  Iowa,  1890. 
Hough    John   M.     26.     December  21,   1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred   from  Company  G,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.     Absent,  wounded.     Trans 

ferred  to  73d  N.  Y.  V. 

MUSICIANS. 
McClung,    Richard.     15.     August    14,    1862.     Kingston.     June  3,   1865.     Resi 

dence,  Kingston,  N.  Y. 
Smith,  George  E.     16.     August  14,  1862.     Kingston.     February  5,   1863.     Dis 

charged  for  physical  disability. 
Grimes,   Thomas.  '17.     December  21,    1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia      V.V. 

Transferred  from  Company  G,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  July  24,  1864.      1  ransferred  to 

73nd  N.  Y.  V.  June  I,  1865. 
Hay,  Alexander.     18.     December  10,  1863.     Dunkirk    N.  Y.     Recruit.     Trans 

ferred  from  Company  G,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  July  24,  1864.     Transferred  to  73d 

N.  Y.  V.  June  i,  1865. 

PRIVATES. 
Adams,  James  L.     18.     September   2,    1864.      Rushford,   N.   Y.     June  3,    1865. 

One  year  substitute. 
Anglewood,   John.     37.     September   3,    1862.     Buffalo,  N.   Y.     June    3,    I 

Transferred  from  Company  G,  72110!.,  July  24,  1864. 
Ambler,  George  W.     30.     September   8,    1862      Dunkirk,    N.    Y. 

from  72nd  N.  Y.  V.     Detailed  on  U.  S.  Military  R.  R. 
Burgess.  William  D.      18.     August  19,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865.    Wound* 

July  2,  1863.     Residence,  Rondout,  N.  \  . 
Benson,  Clinton  M.     37.     September  II,  1862      Dunkirk,  June  3,  1865.     Trans- 

ferred  from  Company  G,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.,  July  24,  1864. 


eon.     25.     December  21,  1863.     Transferred  from  Company  G,  72nd  N. 
Y.  V.     Transferred  to  73d  June  I,  1865. 

Burns,  William.     24.     August  15,  1862.     Kingston.     July  2,  1863.     Killed  m  ac 
tion  at  Gettysburg,  Pa. 


3IO  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  I-Continued. 

PR  i  v  ATES —  Continued. 
Bogard,  Theodore.     21.     August  14,  1862.     Kingston.     July  2,  1863.     Killed  in 

action  at  Gettysburg,  Pa. 
Burhans,  Abram.     27.     August  14,   1862.     Kingston.     July  2,    1863.     Killed  in 

action  at  Gettysburg,  Pa. 
Bacon,  Milton  S.     22.     December  21,    1863.     Brandy  Station,   Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred  from  Company  G,  72nd  N.Y.  V.     July  24,  1864.     Killed  May  23, 

1864. 
Burke,  William  H.     19.     August  9,  1862.     Kingston.     Taken  prisoner,  July  14, 

1863.     Died  in  Military  prison,  May  19,  1864. 

Brockett,  Jerry.     38.     December  21,    1863.     Brandy   Station,    Virginia.     V.    V. 
Transferred  from  Company  G,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.     Transferred  to  73d  N  Y.  V. 

June  i,  1865. 
Dallas,    Berry.     21.     December   21,    1863.     Brandy    Station,    Virginia.     V.    V. 

Transferred  from  Company  G,  72nd  N.  Y.  V.  July  24,  1864.     Transferred  to 

73d  N.  Y.  V.June  i,  1865. 

Carle,  Uriah.     26.     August  14,  1862.     Kingston.    June  3,  1865. 
Carle,  Peter.     31.     July  5,  1864.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865.     Drafted. 
Chichester,  E.  W.     20.     August  14,   1862.     Kingston.     June  3,    1865.     Detailed 

to  Battery  K,  4th  Artillery.     Residence,  New  York  City. 

Casper,  Conrad  H.     23.     August  18.   1862.     Kingston.     October,   1863.     Trans 
ferred  to  V.  R.  C.     Captain  in  Regular  Army. 
Chichester,   John   H.     23.     August    14,    1862.     Kingston.     November  6,    1863. 

Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
Cornelius,  Alonzo  G.     24.     August  15,  1862.     Kingston.     Transferred  to  Signal 

Corps,  Army  Potomac,  Order  General  Meade.     Residence,  Dobbs  Ferry,  N.  Y. 
Clapper,  Jacob.     18.     August  20,  1862.     Kingston.     September  30,  1864.    Killed 

on  picket  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va. 
Campbell,  Henry  M.     19.     August  14,  1862.     Kingston.     Deserted  January  21, 

1863. 
Currie,  Daniel  II.     21.     August    21,    1862.     Kingston.     Deserted   from   general 

hospital. 
Clark,  Myrick.     19.     August  15,  1862.     Kingston.     Wounded  May   3,    1864,   at 

the  Wilderness,  Virginia.     Went  to  hospital.     Never  returned  to  regiment. 
Delamater,  William.     24.     August  8,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865.     Detailed 

at  Corps  headquarters. 
Drautz,  Louis.     18.     August  n,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865.     Died  at  Ron- 

dout,  1892. 
Pavis,  John  W.     19.     August    14,    1862.     Kingston.     Sick   in   general   hospital. 

Discharged.     General  Order  77.     Taken  prisoner  at  Spottsylvania. 
Davis,  Green  L.     20.     August  15,  1862.     Kingston.     November  6,  1863.     Trans 
ferred  to  V.  R.  C.     Wounded,  May  3,  1863.     Residence,  Marbletown,  N.  Y. 
Davis,  Clark.     27.     August  16,  1862.     Kingston.     March  15,  1864.     Transferred 

to  V.  R.  C. 
Dwyer,  Edmond.     26.     December  21,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June  I, 

1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Eckert,  David.     19.     August  14,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 
Eltinge,  John  H.     18.     August  19,  1862.     Kingston.     Sick  in  general  hospital. 
Eltinge,  David  R.     33.     August,  1862.     Kingston.     April  9,  1864.     Wounded  at 

Gettysburg  July  2,  1863."    Discharged  by  order  General  Dix,  New  York. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    J'OLS.  3  I  I 

COMPANY  I-Continued. 

PRIVATES—  Continued. 

Eighmey,  Miles  M.     19.     August  14,  1862.     Kingston. 
Gettysburg. 

Everett,  John.     18.     August  14,  1862.     Kingston. 

Fuller,    Lyman.      21.      August  24,    1862.      Dunkirk.     Transferred   from   72nd. 
Captured  October  25,  1864,  at  Camp  Parole. 

Fox,  Charles   A.     22.     August    I,    1861.     Westfield.     August   7,    1864.     Trans 
ferred  from  72nd. 

Fout,  Michael.     18.     February   13,    1865.     Kingston.     June    I,  1865.      Recruit. 
Transferred  to  73d. 

France,  James  N.     19.     August  14,  1862.     Kingston.     May  5,  1864.     Killed  in 

action  at  the  Wilderness. 
•Garry,    Michael.     19.     December  24,    1863.     Brandy   Station,  Virginia.     V.  V. 

Transferred  from  72nd  July  24,  1864.     Deserted  August  9,  1864. 
Goeler,  William  E.     27.     December  21,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.    June 

I,  1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  730!. 
•Gibson,  DewittJ.     19.     December  21,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June  I, 

1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Gagan,    Henry.     19.     December  16,   1863.     Dunkirk.    June  I,   1865.     Recruit. 

Transferred  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 

Gridley,  Joseph.     21.     August   14,   1862.     Kingston.     February  23,   1863.     Dis 
charged  for  physical  disability. 
Hagan,    Francis.      45.      August   3,    1861.      New   York.      November   15,    1864. 

Transferred  from  72nd. 
Hoyt,   Lewis.     29.     December   21,    1863.     Brandy   Station,    Virginia.     June    I, 

1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Hulbert,  Jasper.     21.     August,  1862.     Kingston.     August  14,   1863.     Died  from 

wounds  received  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1863. 
Hunt,  Melvin   H.     25.     February  13,  1864.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     October 

14,1864.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Killed  in  front  of  Petersburg. 
Hoar,  Henry  J.     23.     August    14,   1862.     Kingston.     October  30,   1864.     Cap 
tured  October  10,  1864.     Died  at  Andersonville. 

Joy,   Albert   E.     19.     August  22,    1864.     Colesville.     March  21,    1865.     Substi 
tute.     Died  in  general  hospital. 

Johnston,  Richard  A.     23.     August  14,  1862.     Kingston.     May  16,  1864.     Cap 
tured  October  10,  1863.     Died  at  Andersonville. 
Jones,  John  R.     19.     August  18,  1862.     Kingston.     Captured  October  10,  1863. 

Died  1872. 
Jago,   Thomas.     17.     November   5,    1861.     New   York.      November   15,    1864, 

Transferred  from  72nd. 
Keyes,  George.     20.     August  20,  1862.     Kingston.     May  15,  1863.     Discharged 

for  physical  disability. 
Luckenbach,    Frederick.     20.     July   23,    1862.      Kingston.     Captured  July    15, 

1863.     Exchanged. 
Lacy,  Sherman.     20.     August   23,   1862.     Dunkirk.     June  3,  1865.     Transferred 

from  72nd. 

Lunger,  Munroe.     20.     August  30,  1864.     Catharine.     June  3,  1865.     Substitute. 
Louden,  Samuel  B.     23.     December  21,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.    June 
I,    1865.     V.    V.     Transferred    from    72nd.     Wounded    February   5,    1865. 
Transferred  to  73d. 


312  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  I-Continued. 

PRIVATES—  Continued. 

Longyear,  Aaron.  22.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  January  15,  1865.  Died 
at  Auger  general  hospital. 

Lewis,  Alonzo.  20.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  March  6,  1864.  Captured 
October  10,  1863.  Died  in  Richmond  hospital. 

Mitchell,  John.  19.  August  21,  1862.  Kingston.  September  28,  1864.  Cap 
tured  October  10,  1863.  Died  at  Andersonville. 

Mawlin,  Robert.  18.  September  I,  1864.  Perry ville.  March  25,  1865.  Sub 
stitute.  Killed  in  charge  in  front  of  Petersburg. 

Mahar,  Michael.  36.  August  27,  1864.  Galen.  March  25,  1865.  Substitute. 
Killed  in  charge  in  front  of  Petersburg. 

Marshall,  George.  18.  August  26,  1864.  Colesville.  January  26,  1865.  Died 
in  hospital  of  typhoid  fever. 

Moe,  John  J.  35.  August  18,  1862.  Kingston.  January  25,  1864.  Captured 
October  10,  1864.  Died  at  Andersonville. 

McMurdy,   Egbert.     25.     August   15,    1862.      Kingston.     Wounded   September,. 

1864.  Discharged  under  General  Orders  No.  77.     Dead. 

Myer,  Andrew.  18.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  Wounded.  Discharged 
under  General  Orders  No.  77. 

Maguill,  Robert.     32.     August  18,  1862.     Kingston.    June  3,  1863. 

Myers,  John  H.  24.  August  21,  1862.  Kingston.  May  28,  1865.  Died  in 
division  hospital. 

McGregor,  Duncan.  32.  September  10,  1862.  Dunkirk.  June  3,  1865. 
Transferred  from  72nd. 

Morley,  Harry  D.  24.  August  3,  1861.  Westfield.  August  7,  1864.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd.  Expiration  of  term. 

Mason,  Charles.  18.  August  3,  1861.  Westfield.  August  7,  1864.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd. 

Morris,  Jonathan.  19.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  February  14,  1863.  Dis 
charged  for  physical  disability. 

McKenna,  Francis.  29.  February  10,  1865.  New  York.  June  I,  1865.  Recruit. 
Transferred  to  73d. 

McGuire,  Thomas.     33.     February  12,  1864.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June  I,. 

1865.  V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 

Northrup,  Calvin.     24.     August  19,  1863.     Dunkirk.     June  3,  1865.     Recruit. 
Northrup,    Austin.     21       December   21,    1863.     Brandy   Station,  Virginia.     June 

i,   1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Osterhoudt,  William.     34.     August  14,  1862.     Kingston.     Deserted  from  furlough 

January,  1863. 

Osgood,  Joshua.     22.     August  3,  1861.     Westfield.     September  23,  1864.     Dis 
charged  for  physical  disability. 
Pettis,    Williard.      18.      August   26,    1864.      Colesville.      Substitute.      Wounded 

March  25.     Died  April  16,  1865. 
Peck,  George  W.     19.     August  19,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865.     Residence, 

Kingston. 
Parr,   James.     20.     August    15,    1862.      Dunkirk.      June   3,    1865.     Transferred 

from  72nd, 
Riseley,  Aaron  N.     18.     August  14,  1862.     Woodstock.     Taken  prisoner  October 

10,  1863.     Exchanged,  at  Camp  Parole.     Residence,  Woodstock. 


ONE   HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  3  I  3 

COMPANY  I-Continued. 

PRIVATES— Continued. 

Reynolds  Ezra  L  18  August  22,  1864.  Coleville.  Substitute  captured  No- 
vember  6,  1864,  at  Camp  Parole. 

h72nd!8'     AUgUSt  3'    l86l<     Westfield-     AuSust   7,    1864.     Transferred 

Russell  Jacob.  43  August  13,  1862.  Kingston.  September  13,  1863.  Died 
of  disease  at  N.  Y.  general  hospital. 

Shore,  Lewis  M.      18.     September  3,  1864.     Grottus.     September  17,  1864.     Died 

of  typhoid  fever  at  division  hospital. 
Slater,  John  H.     22.     August  20,  1862.     Kingston.     January  14,  1864.     Died  of 

typhoid  fever  at  general  hospital. 

Smith,  Andrew.  32.  August  19,  1862.  Kingston.  April  11,  1863.  Died  of 
heart  disease  at  at  regiment  hospital. 

Schepmoes,  Samuel  H.  20.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1864. 
Wounded  September  20,  1864.  Died  at  Kingston,  1893. 

Sutton,  Andrew.  19.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  Sick  at  general  hospital. 
Mustered  out  General  Order  No.  77. 

Shultis,  Daniel.     29.     August  18,  1862.     Kingston.    June  3,  1865. 

Streeter,  Harvey  H.  18.  August  26,  1862.  Dunkirk.  June  3,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd.  Detailed  to  4th  N.  Y.  A. 

Skeets,  Samuel.  23.  September  5,  1864.  China.  Substitute.  Captured  March 
31,  1865. 

Stow,  Theodore  H.  C.  18.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  Tanuary  7,  1863. 
Discharged  for  physical  disability. 

Smith,  John  J.  43.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  September  12,  1863.  Dis 
charged  for  disability. 

Shader,  Christopher  T.  19.  August  16,  1862.  Kingston.  July  18,  1864.  Dis 
charged  for  wounds  received  at  Gettysburg,  July  2,  1863.  Residence,  Kings 
ton. 

Smedus,  Nathanial  B.     27.    August  18,1862.    Kingston.    May  16,1865.  Wounded 

September  15,  1864.     Residence,  Kingston. 
Schaffner,  Frederick.     24.     December  24,  1863.     Brandy  Station, Virginia.     May 

I,  1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  72110!.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
Schnader,  Charles.     36.     December  21,   1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June 

I,  1865.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Turner,    Hugh.     24.     December  21,  1863.     Brandy  Station,  Virginia.     June   I, 

1865.     V.  V.     Transfsrred  from  72nd.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Taylor,    David   L.     25.     August   20,    1862.     Kingston.     Deserted   January   21, 

1863. 

Terwilliger,  Jacob  R.     23.     August  14,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 

Trempbour,  John  C.     28.     August  18,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 

Van  Keuren,  Bruyn.  18.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  June  3,  1865.  Died 
1873- 

Vanderbogert,  John  J.     24.     August  18,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 

Vandeveer,  Brodhead  W.      19.     August  8,  1862.     Kingston.     June  3,  1865. 

Van  Nostrand,  Marenus.  18.  August  18,  1862.  Kingston.  November  21, 
1864.  Wounded  May  5,  1864.  Discharged  for  physical  disability.  Resi 
dence,  New  York. 

Volgstead,  Francis.  32.  December  4,  1863.  Dunkirk.  June  I,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd.  Transferred  to  7jd. 


3  I  4  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  I-Continued. 

PRIVATES  —Continued. 

Vanderbogert,    Philip.     19.     August  18,    1862.     Kingston.     January   22,    1863. 

Died  of  typhoid  fever  at  division  hospital. 
Van  Aiken,  Jeremiah.     26.     August    19,    1862.     Kingston.     February   5,    1863. 

Died  of  typhoid  fever  at  division  hospital. 
Vandemark,  William  E.     24.     August  18,  1862.     Kingston.     September  28,  1864. 

Killed  in  charge  on  Fort  Davis,  Petersburg,  Virginia. 
Van  Gaasbeck,  John  T.     18.     Augest  18,  1862.     Kingston.     Captured  October  10, 

1863.     Died  at  Richmond,  Va. 
Warner,  Justus.     26.     August    11,   1862.     Kingston.     July    2,   1863.     Killed   in 

battle  of  Gettysburg. 
Walker,  George  W.    20.    February  1 6,  1864.    New  York.    June  I,  1865.     Taken 

prisoner  May  5,  1864,  in  Wilderness.    Recruit.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Willis,  Charles.     19.     August  4,   1862.     Kingston.     Deserted  from   general   hos 
pital. 

Whittier,  Joseph.  25.  February  13,  1864.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  72nd.  Captured  October  27,  1864. 

Warren,  Samuel.     18.     September  2,  1864.     Andover.     June  3,  1865.     Substitute. 

Webster,  William  C.  22.  February  13.  1864.  Brandy  Station,  Virginia.  June 
3,  1865.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd.  Captured  March  25,  1865. 

Willing,  John  C.  20.  August  3,  1861.  Westfield.  August  7,  1864.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd.  Expiration  term,  enlistment. 

Webber,  William  B.  33.  August  12,  1862.  Kinsgton.  December  26,  1862. 
Discharged  for  disability. 

Winfield,  Jacob  H.  19.  August  14,  1862.  Kingston.  December  23,  1864. 
Promoted  to  2nd  Lieutenant  2Oth  N.  Y.  M.  Residence,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Young,  Jeremiah.  18.  August  19,  1862.  Kingston.  Wounded  May  6,  1864. 
Lost  a  leg.  Residence,  Accord,  N.  Y. 

Youse,  Frederick  P.     27.     August  19,  1862.     Kingston.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  1  I  5 

\J 


COMPANY  K. 

Company  K  was  raised  in  the  towns  of  Cairo,  Greenville,  Dur 
ham  and  Windham,  Greene  County.  Durham  raised  by  voluntary 
subscriptions  through  the  efforts  of  A.  H.  Hayes,  Supervisor  of  the 
town,  a  bounty  of  fifty  dollars  for  each  recruit  from  that  town,  in  ad 
dition  to  the  State  bounty  of  fifty  dollars,  and  the  United  States 
bounty  of  one  hundred  dollars.  The  first  enlistment  for  this  Com 
pany  was  on  July  3ist,  and  inside  of  twenty  days  it  was  in  camp  at 
Kingston  with  full  ranks.  It  was  mustered  into  the  United  States 
service  with  the  regiment  August  22nd,  1862,  and  was  a  part  of  the 
regiment  during  its  whole  term  of  service.  The  first  winter  at  Fal- 
mouth,  Va.,  it  suffered  severely  from  sickness  by  April  ist,  1863, 
thirteen  of  its  number  had  died  from  disease  and  exposure.  At 
Chancellorsville  it  had  one  man  mortally  wounded  and  three  severely 
wounded.  At  Gettysburg  it  lost  one  officer  and  five  men  killed  and 
mortally  wounded,  and  one  officer  and  fifteen  men  wounded  out  of 
forty  men  engaged  in  action.  At  James  City  eleven  men  were  cap 
tured,  six  of  whom  died  at  Andersonville,  the  other  captured  men 
were  prisoners  from  twelve  to  eighteen  months.  In  the  Wilderness 
campaign,  Lieutenant  John  I.  Lockwood  was  killed  while  temporar 
ily  in  command  of  the  Company. 
Its  losses  from  the  original  members  were  : 

Killed  and  mortally  wounded  in   action,  officers. ..        i 

Killed  and  mortally  wounded  in  action,  men 8 

Died  at  Andersonville 6 

Died  of  disease  and  exposure 1 8 

Total  deaths  in  service 33 

There  were  discharged  for  physical  disability  : 

Officers i 

Men 9 

10 

Transferred,  etc. : 

Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,   men 9 

Transferred  by  promotion  and  to  other  regiments. .        2 

Carried  forward - i r         43 


I  6  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.S.-VOLS. 

COMPANY  K-Continued. 
Brought  forward n         43 

Mustered  out  with  regiment  and  by  general  orders.     39 
Deserted 7         57 


100 

Of  the  additions  to  the  Company  : 

Received  by  promotion  from  other  companies,  officers  2 

Recruits  in  1 864 6 

Transferred  from  7ist  and  72nd  Regiments,   July, 

1864.- ' .  58         66 


Total  enrollment 1 66 

Of  these  transferred  men  only  sixteen  joined  the  Company,  the 
others  being  absent,  sick,  detailed,  missing  in  action,  deserters,  etc. 
One  of  these  men  was  killed  in  action  and  one  died  of  disease.  The 
others  were  mustered  out  with  the  regiment  and  by  general  orders  or 
transferred  to  the  73d  Regiment. 

CAPTAINS. 

Pierson,  James  M.  32.  August  22,  1862.  Cairo.  March  17,  1863.  Discharged 
on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability.  Re-entered  the  service  as  Captain  I5th 
N.  Y.  Eng.  Served  to  close  of  the  war.  Married.  Living  in  New  York 
city. 

Barker,  Ayers  G.  30.  August  22,  1862.  Greenville.  July  2,  1863.  First 
Lieutenant  Company  A,  2Oth  N.  Y.  M.  Three  months'  service.  Promoted 
from  First  Lieutenant  March  17,  1863.  Killed  in  action  at  Gettysburg.  Left 
a  family. 

Everett,  James  H.  25.  August  22,  1863.  Durham.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted 
from  Second  Lieutenant  to  rank  from  July  2,  1863.  Detailed  to  Draft  Ren 
dezvous  N.  Y.,  July  27,  1863.  Returned  to  regiment  August  7,  1864. 
Slightly  wounded  at  Gettysburg  July  2,  1862.  Severely  on  picket  line  in 
front  of  Fort  Sedgvvick  September  12,  1864.  Breveted  Major  N.  Y.  V. 
Located  in  Kingston  August  I,  1866.  Married.  Engaged  in  the  wholesale 
flour,  feed  and  provision  trade.  Was  first  Commander  of  Pratt  Post,  No.  127, 
G.  A.  R.  Has  been  President  and  Treasurer  of  the  !2Oth  Regimental  Union. 
Was  elected  to  the  New  York  Assembly  of  1890  from  the  First  District  of 
Ulster  County. 

FIRST  LIEUTENANTS. 

Barber,  George  P.  25.  August  22,  1862.  Catskill.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted 
from  Quartermaster-Sergeant  May  I,  1863.  For  18  years  Mr.  Barber  was  one 
of  the  City  Editors  of  the  Pittsburg  Dispatch,  and  later  was  employed  on  the 
Times  in  the  same  capacity.  Died  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  May  4,  1888. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.S.   VOLS.  3  I  / 

COMPANY  K-Continued. 

SECOND  LIEUTENANTS. 

Funck,  Henry.  Transferred  from  yist  Regiment  as  First  Sergeant.  Promoted  to 
Second  Lieutenant  October  12,  1864.  Promoted  to  First  Lieutenant  Company 
E,  February  4,  1865. 

Ross,  Orville  A.  18,  June,  1861.  Jamestown.  June  3,  1865.  Transferred  from 
72nd  Regiment  as  Sergeant  October,  1864.  Was  in  all  the  battles  of  the  Ex 
celsior  Brigade,  including  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  where  he  was  severely 
wounded  in  left  thigh,  and  was  in  hospital  five  months.  V.  V.  First  Ser 
geant  January  I,  1865.  Second  Lieutenant  February  4,  1865.  Occupation 
salesman.  Address,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

SERGEANTS. 

Richtmyer,  James  H.  23.  July  31,  1862.  Cairo.  June  3,  1863.  Returned  to 
ranks  June  7,  1864.  Service  with  Pioneer  Corps. 

Ebersole,  Charles.  23.  December  22,  1863.  April  28,  1865.  Transferred 
from  72nd  August  20,  1863,  Corporal.  First  Sergeant  October  12,  1864. 
Discharged  by  General  Order  77. 

Lake,  Philetus.  21.  August  19,  1862.  Greenville.  June  3,  1865.  First  Ser 
geant  April  I,  1865.  Wounded  in  hip  and  shoulder  in  front  of  Petersburg 
June  16,  1864.  Residence,  Oneonta,  N.  Y. 

Woolhiser,  Charles  P.  20.  August  2,  1862.  Windham.  Wounded  in  leg  at 
Gettysburg  July  2,  1863.  Discharged  by  General  Order  W.  D.  No.  77. 

Jones,  Daniel  S.  22.  August  15,  1862.  Durham.  June  3,  1865.  Detailed  to 
Division  Ambulance  Corps  May  I,  1863.  Present  occupation,  farmer.  Resi 
dence,  East  Durham.  Has  been  Justice  of  the  Peace  the  past  12  years. 

Craft,  Albert.  22.  August  13,  1862.  Ashland.  June  8,  1865.  Promoted  from 
Corporal  November  I,  1864.  Wounded  in  right  hand  March  25,  1865.  Dis 
charged  under  General  Order  No.  77  from  Lincoln  general  hospital,  Wash- 
ington,  D.  C.  His  father  and  six  of  his  father's  brothers  were  in  the  war  for 
the  Union.  His  grandfather  was  a  Captain  in  the  war  of  1812.  Is  now 
engaged  in  farming  at  Hobart,  Delaware  county,  N.  Y. 

Sheffield,  Mil o.  21.  August  2,  1862.  Windham.  September  12,  1862.  De 
serted  from  camp  near  Washington. 

Grannis,  Charles  O.  20.  July  31,  1862.  Cairo.  Promoted  from  Corporal 
March  I,  1865.  Wounded  at  Chancellorsville.  Taken  prisoner  at  James 
City,  confined  in  Libby,  Belle  Island  and  Andersonville  14  months.  3  months 
service  in  1861  with  2Oth  N.  Y.  M.  Discharged  from  Annapolis  Junction,  Md. 
by  General  Order  No.  77.  Has  been  a  letter  carrier  in  New  York  city  since 
September  13,  1870. 

McWilliams,  John  B.  21.  August  15,  1862.  Cairo.  December  11,  1862.  Died 
of  disease  at  Fairfax  Seminary  hospital. 

Walters,  Nelson.  27.  August  1 1,  1862.  Cairo.  June  2,  1864.  Captured  at  James 
City,  October  10,  1863.  Died  at  Andersonville. 

Plimley,  William.  23.  August  12,  1862.  Catskill,  N.  Y.  June  3,  1865  Pro 
moted  to  Corporal  Sergeant,  Second  and  First  Lieutenant  and  Brevet  Captain 
U  S  V  Served  as  aid  on  staff  of  Brigadier-General,  McAllister.  Ap 
pointed  clerk  in  New  York  city  Post  Office  in  1865.  Promoted  to  General 
Superintendent  of  the  Money  Order  Department.  A  position  he  still  holds. 

Hannah,  James  D.  23.  December  23,  1863.  October  18,  1864.  V.  V.  Trans- 
ferred  from  72nd.  Discharged  as  supernumary. 

Rice  George  B.  42.  December  22,  1863.  October  18,  1864.  V.  V. 
Transferred  from  72nd.  Discharged  as  supernumary. 


i8 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 


COMPANY  K-Continuecl. 

SERGEANTS  —  Continued. 

Rice,  William  H.     28.^    August  12,  1862.     October  18,  1864.      Transferred  from 

72nd.     Discharged  as  supernumary. 
Wilson,  Edward.     36.     December  23,  1863.     October  18,   1864.     V.  V      Trans 

ferred  from  7  1st.     Discharged  as  supernumary. 

CORPORALS. 

Cornwall,  George  W.     22.     August  5,   1862.     Cairo.     Wounded  at  Gettysburg, 

July  2,  1863.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
Smith    Henry.     27      August  9,  1862.     Durham.     April  10,  1864.     Transferred  to 

V.   1\.«  v^«       JL)C3,C1« 


Johnson,  William.  35.  August  11,  1862.  Greenville.  February  18  1864 
Discharged  for  disability. 

Layman,  Chauncey.  35.  August  1  1,  1862.  Durham.  August  18  1864  Can 
tured  at  James  City,  October  10,  1863.  Died  at  Andersonville.  ' 

Brooks,  Isaac  N.  22.  August  18,  1862.  Greenville.  April  7  186?  Died  of 
disease  at  Falmouth,  Va. 

Belts,  John  H.  24.  July  31  1862.  Cairo.  May  12,  1865.  Severely  wounded 
in  neck  at  Gettysburg.  Mustered  out  by  General  Order  No.  77.  Died  1884 

Tibbals,  George  H.  19.  August  2,  1862.  Windham.  July  2,  1867.  Killed  in 
action  at  Gettysburg. 

Banks,  Sherwood.  22.  August  15,  1862.  Durham.  January  10,  1864  Trans 
ferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Bennett,  Lemuel  L.  19.  August  4,  1862.  Cairo.  Promoted  May  i  1861 
Present  residence,  Catskill.  J' 

White,  George  E.  19.  August  6,  1862.  Ashland.  June  5,  1865  Captured 
October  10  1863  Paroled  November  20,  1864.  Discharged  from  Annapolis 
Junction,  Md.  Present  occupation,  painter.  Residence,  Pulaski,  N.  Y. 

Howard,  Isaac  S.  22  August  19  1862.  Cairo.  June  29,  1865.  Promoted 
Nov.  I,  1864.  Wounded  March  25,  1865.  Occupation,  carpenter.  Resi 
dence,  Cairo,  N.  Y. 


Crane  Charles  H  18  August  15,  1862.  Durham.  Tune  3,  1865.  Wounded 
at  Gettysburg!!,  July  2,  1863.  Promoted  Nov.  i,  1864.  Manufacturer.  De 
posit,  N.  Y. 

Walters,  Stephen.  19.  August  19,  1862.  Greenville.  June  3,  1865.  Promoted 
March  i,  1865.  Married.  Three  children  at  Bon  Homme,  South  Dakota. 

Hammond,  William.  41.  August  5,  1862.  New  York  city.  April  28  186? 
Transferred  from  72nd.  Wounded  July  30,  1864. 

Manck,  John.  24.  August  24,  1862.  Sheridan.  June  3,  186,-.  Transferred 
from  72nd. 

Morris,  Thomas  II.  26.  August  16,  1862.  Cairo.  1862.  Deserted  from 
hospital. 

MUSICIANS. 

Spencer,  Luther  H.  18.  August  12,  1862.  Durham.  June  3,  1865.  Cabinet 
maker.  Hudson,  N.  Y. 

DeFrate,  Edsell.  22.  August  n,  1862.  Durham.  Transferred  to  2oth  Regi 
ment  V.  R.  C.  Re-enlisted  in  Regulars.  Died  at  Fort  Maginnes,  Montana, 
February  24,  1886. 

McDonald,  Michael.  24.  December  25,  1863.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  7ist. 
Transferred  to  73d. 

Gore,  William  T.  17.  December  22,  1863.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  7ist. 
Transferred  to  73d. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  3  I  9 

PRIVATES.  COMPANY  K-Continued. 

Augustus,  Nathan.     22  .August  14,  1862.     Durham.    June  3,  1865      Wounded 

at  Gettysburg.     Died  at  Oak  Hill,  N.  Y.,  1886. 
Abbott   William  M.     25      September  26,  1862.     Transferred  from  72nd      Clerk 

at  Camp  Parole.     Discharged  under  General  Orders  No.  77 
Ammerman,  George  P.     21.     August  n,   1862.     New  York  city.     Time-    i86<. 

Iransferred  from  72nu  July  21,  1864.  y      J        J'        5 

Arnold,  Jacob      30.     August    i,    1862.     Dunkirk.    June   3,    i86c      Transfer^ 
from  72nd  October  30,  1864. 

Austin,  William   M.     42.     August  4,   1862.     Greenville.     April  26    1864      Dis 
charged  by  order  Major-General  Hancock. 

Abrams,  Epinetus.     38      August  5,    1862.     Greenville.     May  26,  1863      Died  of 
wounds  received  at  Chancellorsville. 

Abrams,  William      40.     August  5,  1862.     Greenville.     July  2,  1863.     Brother  of 

above.     Killed  in  action  at  Gettysburg. 
Babcock,  Minard  .28.     August  22,  1862.     Dunkirk.     June  3,  1865.     Transferred 

Dakotl2  3°'    l864'     RCSideS   at   Burbank'    Clay   County?iouth 


Berry,  Joseph.     18.     August  26,  1864.     Oswego.    June  3,  1865.     Substitute. 

Bullard   David  H.     23.     August  15,  1862.     Windham.    June  3,  i86c.    Wounded 

y     Urg'  ^   iU   WdSt  at  MinC   Run>     Ham«smaker      Pratts 


NAY.,2i388oAUgUSt  4>  l862'     Windham"    June  3>   1865.     Died  at 

Burgess  Allan  D.     23.     August  5,  1862.     Greenville.     November  21,  1862      Died 

oi  disease  at  St.  Aloysing  hospital,  Washington. 
Brown,  Warren.     19.     August   14,    1862.     Durham.     April  14,   1864.     Captured 

October  10,  1862.     Died  at  Andersonville. 

Blaisdell,  John.     28.     August  10,  1862.     Greenville.    June  25,  1863.     Deserted- 
Barnes,   John.     36.     August   25,    1862.     New   York  city.     November   7     1864 

Transferred  from  72nd.     Died  of  wounds  near  Petersburg,  Va. 
Craw,  Lucius.     23.     August  9,  1862.     Greenville.     June  25,  1863.     Deserted. 
Curry,    Ebenezer.     36.     August   8,    1862.      Transferred  from   72nd.      Deserted 

while  on  furlough  May  17,  1864. 

Core,  Thomas.     38.     August  12,  1861.     New  York  city.     Transferred  from  72nd 

July  21,  1864.     Deserted  from  Signal  Corps. 
Butcher,   John.     20.     December    22,     1863.     V.    V.      Transferred    from    72nd. 

Missing  in  action  May  10,  1864.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Chappel,  Lewis.     23.     August  14,   1862.     Cairo.     April  28,   1865.      Discharged 

under  General  Orders  No.  27,  W.  D. 

Conway.  Isaac.  39.  August  19,  1862.  New  York  city.  June  3,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd. 

Cudbirth,    Thomas.     18.     August   25,    1862.      New   York   city.    June  3,    1865. 

Transferred  from  72nd. 
Carson,  Robert.     37.     September    13,    1861.      New   York   city.      September  14, 

1864.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Discharged  on  expiration  of  term. 
Cunningham,  Patrick.     27.     December  22,  1864.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd. 

Transferred  to  73d. 

Cornell,  Leonard  B.  17.  August  11,  1862.  Windham.  August  19,  1865. 
Wounded  in  thigh  and  arm;  bone  splintered  in  both.  Transferred  to  V.  R. 
C.  Lawyer,  Catskill,  until  1885.  Receiver,  etc.,  U.  S.  Land  Office  at 
Spokane  Falls,  W.  T. 


32O  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  X.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  K-Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Cornell,  Isaac  N.     55.     August  n,  1862.     Windham.     July  2,  1863.     Father  of 

above  missing  at  Gettysburg.     Undoubtedly  killed. 
Crandell,  John  F.     21.     August  n,   1862.     Windham.     July  9,  1864.     Captured 

October  10,  1863.     Died  at  Andersonville. 
Dobler,    George.      27.      December   25,    1863.     V.    V.     Transferred   from   72nd. 

Absent,  wounded.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Donaldson,  Frederick.     22.     September  10,  1861.     Boston,  Mass.     September  10, 

1864.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Discharged.     Expiration  of  term. 
Eldrige,  Theodore.     25.     August  10,  1862.     Greenville.     June  3,  1863.     Died  of 

disease  at  Falmouth,  Va. 
Fry,  Joseph  H.     23.     August  27,   1862.     Dunkirk.    June  3,   1865.     Transferred 

from  72nd.     Teamster.     Died  at  Buffalo. 
Felt,    Alvin  B.     23.     August    II,    1862.     Cairo.     April    12,    1865.      In   all  the 

engagements  of  the  Regiment  to  Battle  of  the  Wilderness  inclusive,  where  he 

was  severely  wounded.     Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  and  discharged  thereupon 

on  Surgeon's  certificate  of  disability.     Has  since  resided  in  Philadelphia  and 

Rich  Hill,  Pa.     Occupation,  agent  and  farmer. 
Fitzgibbon,  Patrick.     40.     December  22,  1863.     V.  V.     Transferred  from   72nd. 

Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  March  19,  1865. 
Fitzsimmons,  Thomas.     42.     December  22,  1863.     V.  V.     Transferred  from  72nd. 

Missing  in  action  May  10,  1864.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Germain,  Irving  T.     18.     August  15,  1862.     Durham.     June  3,  1865.     Wounded 

June  27,  1864. 
Golder,   George   W.      34.      August  21,    1862.     New  York   city.     April }    1865. 

Transferred  from  72nd.     Discharged  by  General  Orders  No.  77. 
Gorslin,  James  M.     21.     August  12,  1862.     Cairo.     February  12,  1863.     Died  of 

disease  at  Falmouth,  Va. 
Griffin,  Charles  B.     18.     August  n,  1862.     February  3,  1863.     Died  of  disease  at 

Falmouth,  Va. 

Green,  John.     25.     September  I,  1864.     Howard.     Substitute.    Transferred  to  73d. 
Hemsley,  Grove.     18.     August  31,  1864.     Dryden.    Substitute.     Captured  March 

25,  1865.     Discharged  by  General  Orders  No.  77. 
Hallo wellt  John.     21.     September  22,  1862.     New  York  city.     Transferred  from 

72nd.     Wounded  in  right  hand.     Discharged  by  General  Order  77. 
Hannah,   George.     39.     August  19,   1862.     New  York   city.     Transferred  from 

72nd.     Captured  March  25,  1865.     Discharged  by  General  Order  77. 
Hopkins,  William  W.     36.     August  7,   1862.     Windham.     Discharged  by  Gen  - 

eral  Order  77.     Died  at  Windam  August  6,  1865. 

Hardick,  John.     44.     August,  1862.     Windam.     June  3,  1865.     Dead. 
Hallenbeck,  William.     23.     August,  1862.     Durham.     April  28,  1865.     Captured 

October  10,  1863.    At  Andersonville,  till  near  the  close  of  the  war.     Discharged 

at  Annapolis,  Md.,  General  Order  77.     Resides   at  Oak  Hill.     Occupation, 

moulder. 
Hollohan,  Robert.     33.     December  22,   1863.     V.    V.     Transferred    from    72nd. 

Wounded  May  6,  1864.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Iligley,   John  R.     24.     December   22,    1863.     V.  V.     Transferred   from   72nd. 

Transferred  to  73d. 
Halley,   Patrick.     21.     November  7?  1862.     New   York  city.     Transferred  from 

72nd.     Ex-prisoner.     Discharged  by  General  Order  77. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.S.    VOLS.  321 

COMPANY  K-Continued. 

PRIVATES— Continued. 

Hotchkiss,  Lewis.  23.  August,  1862.  Durham.  June  n,  186-?.  Died  at  Wash 
ington,  D.  C. 

Ilapeman,  Robert  18.  August  4,  1862.  Windham.  February  7,  1863.  Died 
of  disease  at  Falmouth,  Va. 

Holmes,  Charles.  28.  August  13,  1862.  Windham.  February  i,  1863.  Died 
of  disease  at  Annapolis,  Md. 

I lollenbeck,  Edward.  27.  August  n,  1862.  Durham.  November  30,  1862 
Deserted. 

Jameson,  Samuel.  36.  August  16,  1862.  New  York  city.  June  3  i86c 
Transferred  from  72nd. 

Johnson,  Frank.     18.     August  23,  1862.     Oswego,    June  3,  1865.     Substitute. 

Johnson,  John.  40.  September  13,  1862.  New  York  city.  December  8,  1864. 
Transferred  from  72nd.  Discharged  for  disability. 

Judd,  Ezekiel  K.  16.  August  4,  1862.  Windham.  May  12,  1864.  Discharged 
for  disability.  Living  at  Red  Oak,  Iowa. 

Jennie,  John  F.  18.  August  4,  1862.  Windham.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 
Commissioned  2nd  Lieutenant  215  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Mustered  out 
August  11,  1865.  Secretary  of  Hudson  Insurance  Company  of  Jersey  City, 
from  1868  to  1880.  Appointed  United  States  Consul  at  Neuvie  Laredo, 
Mexico,  January,  1880.  Transferred  to  Simcoe,  Canada,  September,  1882. 
Died  there  of  consumption  April  22,  1883. 

Kiser,  Frank  M.     18.     September  I,  1864.     Dryden.    June  3,  1865.     Substitute. 

Kinch,  Harvey.  40.  August  24,  1862.  New  York  city.  June  3,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd. 

Knapp,  Ambrose.  21.  August  n,  1862.  Greenville.  June  3,  1865.  Detailed 
to  Battery  K.  4th  U.  S.  Artillery.  Quarryman,  \Vilton,  Greene  County,  N.  Y. 

Koch,  Herman.  20.  December  24,  1863.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd. 
Transferred  to  73d. 

Kipp,  Henry  C.  20.  August  19,  1862.  Greenville.  March  13,  1863.  Died  of 
disease  at  Falmouth,  Va. 

Keating,  Thomas.  39.  December  22,  1863.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd  as 
missing  in  action,  May  10,  1864. 

Lee,  Robert.  18.  August  I,  1862.  Cairo.  June  22,  1865.  Detailed  to  Battery 
K,  4th  U.  S.  Artillery.  Accidently  injured  October,  1864,  and  transferred  to 
V.  R.  C.  Teamster,  Cairo,  N.  Y. 

Lee,  Stewart.  25.  August  I,  1862.  Cairo.  June  3,  1865.  Regimental  team, 
ster.  Teamster,  \Vest  Hurley. 

Lennon,  Lewis  B.  23.  August  u,  1862.  Cairo.  June  3,  1865.  Died  at  Cairo, 
1889. 

Lindsley,  Charles  L.     22.     August  1 1,  1862.     Cairo.     June  3,  1865. 

Layman,  Alexander.  18.  August  15,  1862.  Durham.  June  3,^1865.  Wounded 
at  Gettysburg,  July  2,  1863. 

McGuire,  John.  20.  August  25,  1862.  New  York  city.  Transferred  from  72nd. 
Discharged  by  General  Orders  No.  77. 

McGuire,  Michael.  26.  September  I,  1862.  New  York  city.  Transferred  from 
72nd.  Captured  March  31,  1865.  Ex-prisoner  at  Annapolis,  Md. 

Murphy,  John.  24.  December  22,  1863.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd.  Ab 
sent.  Sick.  Transferred  to  73d. 

21 


322  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.   VOLS. 

COMPANY  K-Continued. 

PR  IV  ATES—  Continued. 

Maynard,  Ililand.  26.  August  13,  1862.  Windham.  January  29,  1863.  Died 
of  disease  at  Falmouth,  Va. 

McCloskey,  Dennis.     30.     August  15,  1862.     Durham.     July  2,  1863.     Killed  in 

action  at  Gettysburg. 
Marshall,  Joseph.     20.     August  16,  1862.     Windham.     Wounded  at  Gettysburg. 

Missing  in  action,  May  5,  1864.     Never  heard  from. 
Missell,  John.      40.      August   12,  1862.      New  York  city.      October  12,    1864. 

Transferred  from  72nd.     Died  of  disease  at  Beverly,  N.  J. 
Nolen,  Thomas.     40.     December  2,  1 86 1.     New  York  city.      December  2,  1864. 

Transferred  frcm  72nd.     Discharged  expiration  enlistment. 
Olmstead,  Willis.     20.      August  12,  1862.     Windham.     Sick  in  general  hospital. 

Mustered  out  General  Order  77. 

O'Brien,  Patrick.  28.  December  25,  1863.  Transferred  from  ;ist  as  deserted 
from  furlough  April  I,  1864. 

Preston,  David  S.  24.  August  12,  1862.  Windham.  June  3,  1865.  Living  at 
Catskill. 

Post;  Ezra  R.  29.  August  15,  1862.  Durham.  June  3,  1865.  Wounded  in 
thigh  at  Gettysburg.  In  hospital  seven  months.  Pension  $2  per  month. 
Living  at  Lansingburg,  N.  Y. 

Palmer,  John.  35.  August  2,  1862.  New  York  city.  June  3,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd. 

Pipp,  John.  41.  August  27,  1862.  Dunkirk.  Transferred  from  72nd. 
Wounded  March  25,  1865.  Mustered  out  General  Order  No.  77. 

Pepper,  Jasper  W.  18.  August  31,  1864.  Reading.  June  3,  1865.  Substi 
tute. 

Paul,  James  D.      42.      August  12,   1861.      New  York  city.      August  12,  186^. 

Transferred  from  72110!.     Mustered  out  expiration  term. 
Porter,  Orin.     22.     August  8,  1862.     Durham.     November  28,  1862.    Discharged 

for  disability  February,  1864.      Enlisted  in  I5th  N.  Y.  Eng.      Mustered  out 

with  regiment.     Farmer,  Sandage,  Kansas. 
Perkins,  John.     41.     December  22,   1863.     April  28,    1865.      V.  V.      Captured 

March  25,  1865.     Discharged  General  Order  77. 
Payne,  Charles  R.     27.     August  u,  1862.     Windham.     May  5,  1864.     Killed  in 

action  at  battle  of  the  Wilderness. 

Quinn,  Christopher.  26.  December  22,  1862.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd. 
Transferred  to  73d. 

Robinson,  Samuel.  30.  August  26,  1862.  Sheridan.  June  3,  1865.  Trans 
ferred  from  72nd.  Teamster  division  supply  team. 

Rockafellow,  Hiram.  22.  August  18,  1862.  Durham.  July  10,  1863.  Dis 
charged  for  disability. 

Rearadon,  John»  40.  December  22,  1863.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd. 
Wounded  March  25,  1865.  Transferred  to  73d. 

Richardson,  William.  25.  December  24,  1863.  V.  V.  Transferred  from  72nd. 
Transferred  to  73d. 

Russell,  Peter.  27.  August  13,  1862.  Greenville.  May  10,  1863.  Died  of 
disease  at  Falmouth,  Va. 

Rood,  Almeran.  21.  August  18,  1862.  Durham.  January  26,  1864.  Died  of 
disease  at  Brandy  Station,  Virginia. 


ONE   HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  323 

COMPANY  K-Continued. 

PRIVATES  -  Continued. 

Reynolds,  Ira  S      15.     August  4,  1862.    Windham.    August  10,  1864     Wounded 
in  thigh  at  Gettysburg.     Transferred  to  2oth  Regiment,  V.  R.  C      Discha  med 

' 


Poso.  'A    R.        amier  aiK    SC°0    tCaCer'   Wmdham.      Pas 
Stoddard,  Lorenzo  F.     19.     August  15,  1862.     Cairo.     June  3,  1865. 
Silvernail,  David.      19.      August  16,  1862.      Cairo.      Absent,  sick.      Discharged 

General  Order  77  April  28,  1865. 
Spencer,  William  H.     24.     August   16,   1862.     Cairo.     June  3,  1865.     Captured 

October  TO,  1863.     In  Libby,   Belle  Island   and  Andersonville  until  April  6 

1865.     Farmer.     Acra,  N.  Y. 

Shortman,  John  II      19.     August  14,  1862.     Durham.    June  3,  1865.     Captured 
jort    N   Y'  A  pds°ner  l8  montns>   l8  days-     Paper-maker.     Stock- 

Smith,  Allen  T.     19.     August  12,  1862.     Durham.     [111163,1865. 

.     Wounded 


Sutherland,  Walter.     20.     August  15,  1862.     Durham.     December  6  1862.     Dis 
charged  for  disability. 

Scutt,   Robert.     38.     August  4,   1862.     Cairo.     June  12,   1863.     Discharged   for 

disability.     Living  at  Catskill. 
Stevenson,  Robert  A.     21.     August  21,  1861.     New  York  city.     August  12,  1864. 

Transferred  from  72nd.     Discharged.     Expiration  of  term. 
Smith,  Origen  A.     24.     August  u,  1862.     Durham.     September  I,  1867.     Trans 

ferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

Smith,  Henry  A.     26.     August  n,  1862.     Durham.     September  I,  1862.     Claimed 

as  a  deserter  from  4th  N.  Y.  A. 
Smith,    Charles.     19.     December    31,    1863.     V.   V.      Transferred    from    72nd. 

Absent,  sick.     Transferred  to  73d. 
Snyder,  M.    L.  Demerest.     18.     August  u,   1862.     Durham.     March  10,   186?. 

Died  at  Falmouth,  Va. 

Snyder,  Edward.     32.     August  13,  1862.     Windham.     March  27,  1863.     Died  at 
Falmouth,  Va. 

Slater,  Smith.     20.    August  u,  1862.     Windham.     March  8,  1863.     Died  at  Fal 
mouth,   Va. 

Strawbinger,  Andrew.     41.     August  19,  1862.     Cairo.     October  15,  1863.     Died 

at  Fairfax  Seminary  Hospital. 
Sleigle,   John    R.     42.     August    I,    1862,      Durham.      Wounded   at  Gettysburg. 

Captured  October  lo,  1863.     Died  at  Andersonville. 
Talcot,  Charles  H.     25.     September  30,  1862.     Brooklyn.     June  3,  1865.     Trans 

ferred  from  72nd. 

Taylor,  George.     34.     August  20,  1862.     Transferred  from  72nd.     Wounded   in 
Wilderness.     Captured    March  25,  1865.     Discharged  under  General  Orders 

No.  77. 

Thomas,    William    A.      26.      August  8,    1862.      Cairo.      September    12,    1862. 

Deserted. 
Vining,  William  II.     18.     August  n,   1862.     Cairo.     March  4,  1864.     Wounded 

at  Gettysburg.     Discharged  for  disability. 


324  ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 

COMPANY  K-Continued. 

PRIVATES — Continued. 

Van  Aiken,  Giles.  25.  August  12,  1862.  Windliam.  November  8,  1863. 
Wounded.  Transferred  to  V.  R.  C.  Discharged  July  13,  1865.  Living  at 
Margaretville,  N.  Y. 

Wiltsie,    George.     24.     August    II,    1862.     Cairo.     June   3,    1865.      Regimental 

teamster.     Died  1884. 
Waterman,  Alfred.     49.     August  8,  1862.    Ashland.     December  14,  1862.      Died 

at  general  hospital,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Wheeler,    Truman    H.      32.     August    n,    1862.       Durham.      October   8,    1863. 

WTounded  at  Gettysburg.     Died  from  effect  at  hospital  in  Baltimore. 
Wilbur   Esseck   G.      22.      August    11,    1862.      September    15,     1864.     Captured 

October  10,  1863.     Died  at  Andersonville.     Extracts  from  his  prison  diary  are 

published  in  the  Regimental  History. 
Williams,  John  II.     39.     September  19,  1861.     New  York  city.     September  24, 

1864.     Transferred  from  72nd. 
Walters,  Moses.     18.     August  7,  1862.     Cairo.    October  14,  1864.     Wounded  at 

Gettysburg,  resulting  in  loss  of  foot.  Light  House  Keeper,  Coxsackie,  N.  V  . 
Whitman,  Lawrence  D.  18.  August  n,  1862.  Cairo.  June  25,  1863.  Deserted. 
Yerger,  Mathias.  32.  August  22,  1862.  Dunkirk.  June  3,  1865.  Transferred 

from  72nd. 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH   N.  Y.  S.    VOLS. 


SUMMARY  OF  LOSS  BY  DEATH  FROM  THE 
FOREGOING  COMPANY  RECORDS. 


COMPANIES. 

KILLED  AND  DIED  OF  WOUNDS 

DIED  OF  DISEASE,  IN  PRISON  ,&c 

Total 

Officers. 

Men. 

Total. 

Officers. 

Men. 

Total. 

Enroll 
ment. 

Field  and  Staff. 

Company  A... 

I 

12 

'3 

'9 

;9 

17 
144 

- 

!4 

14 

I 

14 

15 

164 

9 

9 

. 

H 

14 

152 

E.__ 
F... 

2 
I 

9 

13 

8 

1  1 
14 

8 

• 

9 

12 

16 

9 

12 

16 

I36 

'53 

176 

H... 
I... 

I 

4 

20 

6 

17 

21 

10 

18 

I 

9 
'3 

J7 

9 

'45 
152 

K... 

I 

9 

10 

25 

25 

1  66 

Totals. 

II 

117 

128 

3 

148 

,5- 

1,562 

Total  deaths  in  service,  279  ;  Total  wounded  in  action,  as  by 
Regimental  Adjutant's  report,  394  ;  Total  captured  at  James  City 
(112)  and  at  other  places  as  by  Adjutant's  report  (131),  243. 

There  were  over  two  thousand  regiments  in  the  Union  Army. 
Fox's  "Regimental  Losses"  gives  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth 
Regiment  a  place  in  his  list  of  "  three  hundred  fighting  regiments," 
and  also  in  his  list  of  eleven  regiments  that  includes  every  infantry 
regiment  in  the  service  which  lost  eight  or  more  officers  killed  in  any 
one  engagement. 

He  gives  the  killed  and  died  of  wounds  at  151  ;  died  of  disease  in 
prison,  etc.,  182  ;  a  total  of  deaths  in  the  service,  333.  This  differ 
ence  ma\  be  accounted  for  from  the  fact  that  the  foregoing  summary 


326  ON/-:  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.  VOLS. 

of  losses  is  made  from  the  muster  out  rolls  at  the  close  of  the  war, 
while  Fox's  tables,  published  in  1889,  are  compiled  largely  from  state 
records,  after  the  fate  of  many  men  borne  on  the  muster  out  rolls  as 
"missing  in  action"/'  had  been  ascertained. 

The  following  list  of  Battles  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth, 
and  the  number  of  killed  and  mortally  wounded  in  each,  with  the 
notes  following,  is  an  extract  from  "Regimental  Losses  in  The 
American  Civil  War,"  by  William  F.  Fox,  Lt.  Col.,  U.  S.  V.  : 

BATTLES.  KILLED  AND  MORTALLY  WOUNDED. 

Chancellorsville,   Va    13 

Gettysburg,    Pa 54 

James  City,   Va 3 

Mine  Run,  Va 4 

Wilderness,   Va 1 1 

Spottsylvania,    Va 3 

North  Anna,   Va i 

Totopotomoy,  Va 3 

Cold  Harbor,   Va 2 

Siege  of  Petersburg,   Va 25 

Strawberry  Plains,  Va i 

Poplar  Spring  Church,   Va i 

Boy d ton  Road,  Va 13 

Hatcher's  Run,  Va.  (March  25,  1865) 12 

White  Oak  Road,  Va 4 

Picket  Line,   Va .  i 

Present,  also,  at  Fredericksburg  ;  Wapping  Heights  ;  Kelly's  Ford  ; 
Po  River ;  Deep  Bottom  ;  Sailor's  Creek  ;  Farmville  ;  Appomattox. 

NOTES. — Recruited  in  Ulster  and  Greene  counties  (Tenth  Senatorial 
District),  and  organized  at  Kingston,  N.  Y.  It  was  mustered  into 
service  on  August  22,  1862,  with  900  men,  and  was  ordered  imme 
diately  to  Washington,  where  it  went  into  camp  near  the  Chain  Bridge. 
It  was  attached,  soon  after,  to  the  famous  Excelsior  Brigade,  in  which 
command  it  was  under  fire  at  Fredericksburg,  where  a  few  of  the  men 
were  wounded.  The  regiment  was  actively  engaged  at  Chancellors 
ville — then  in  Berry's  Division — exhibiting  a  commendable  steadiness 
and  efficiency.  Its  loss  in  that  battle  was  4  killed,  49  wounded,  and 


ONE  HUNDRED  AND   TWENTIETH  N.  Y.  S.    VOLS.  $2*] 

13  missing.  At  Gettysburg — in  Humphrey's  Division — it  became 
involved  in  the  disaster  of  the  second  day's  battle,  but  like  the  rest  of 
the  Third  Corps,  it  fell  back  in  good  order  to  the  second  line,  fighting 
as  it  \venf.  Its  casualties  in  this  battle  aggregated  30  killed,  1 54 
wounded,  and  19  missing  ;  total,  203.  Eight  officers  were  killed 
and  9  wounded  in  that  battle.  The  Third  Corps  having  been  merged 
into  the  Second,  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  was  placed  in 
Brewster's  Brigade  of  Mott's  Division,  and  from  that  time  fought  under 
the  Second  Corps  flags,  the  men,  however,  retaining  their  old  Third 
Corps  badge.  Mott's  division  having  been  discontinued,  the  Excelsior 
Brigade  was  placed  in  Birney's  (3d)  Division,  becoming  the  Fourth 
Brigade.  General  Mott  succeeded  eventually  to  the  command  of  this 
division,  and  Colonel  McAllister  to  that  of  the  brigade.  At  the 
Wilderness  the  regiment  lost  5  killed,  48  wounded,  and  8  missing  ; 
at  the  battle  on  the  Boydton  Road,  8  killed,  30  wounded,  and  21 
missing  ;  at  Hatchers  Run,  6  killed,  32  wounded,  and  46  missing. 
Mustered  out  June  3,  1865. 


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